Philippe Pacalet Cornas 2014
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Wilfred
Wong
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2014 Phillipe Pacalet Cornas delivers plenty of ripe fruit richness, yet stays away from being too heavy on the palate. The wine's delicate spicy and black fruit flavors pair especially well with braised meats. (Tasted: November 8, 2016, San Francisco, CA USA)
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2017-
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Philippe Pacalet is one of the leading natural winemakers in Burgundy, producing wines with minimal intervention to ensure that the terroir is as transparent as possible in his selections. He crafts wines from some of the most renowned appellations of Côte d’Or where he strategically chose vineyard parcels that parallel with the principles of his work. He does not possess his own vineyards but is cautious to contract with growers who work organically and sustainably, following his own rigid set of beliefs and personally supervises farming throughout each phase. Harvest is performed manually by his team. Being that terroir is of utmost importance to him, Philippe removes anything from the vinification process that can obscure the purity of the land, allowing each wine’s specific characteristics to shine through. His overall philosophy is "Authenticity, Non-Interventionism and Cultural Experience." All of his care and attention to detail results in unrivaled top quality wines of stunning clarity.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Distinguished as a fine Syrah producing zone since the 18th century, Cornas, like Cote Rotie, is made up of vineyards covering steep and hard-to-work, granite terraces. As a result the region’s wines fell out of favor during the mid 20th century when the global market was more focused on bulk wines and vineyards that yielded high quantities. It wasn’t until the 1980s when a group of energetic young winemakers reestablished the integrity of these precipitous terraces and also began making an ultra-modern style of Syrah. The new style didn’t need a decade before it was drinkable and could reach the consumer faster than the region’s traditional wines. Given the new quality coming out of the zone, its popularity once again soared and today a good Cornas can easily challenge many of those from Hermitage. Characteristics of Syrah from Cornas include teeth-staining flavors of blackberry jam, plum, pepper, violets, smoked game, charcoal, chalk dust and smoke.