2011 Cornas Vieilles Vignes

Opaque ruby. Ripe dark berries, licorice, incense and woodsmoke on the spice-accented nose. Lush and expansive, offering sweet blackcurrant and cherry-cola flavors and a touch of vanilla that gains strength with air. Velvety tannins give shape to the finish, which clings with impressive intensity and lingering spiciness.

(made from vines that reportedly range from 80 to over 100 years of age): Inky purple. Heady scents of cassis, cola, candied violet and Indian spices. Fleshy, palate-staining black and blue fruit flavors show superb density and are lifted and sharpened by juicy acidity. Closes sweet, spicy and very long, with subtle tannins and excellent clarity.

60-year-old Syrah. Dark crimson. Much broader and more luscious than the Coteaux bottling on the nose. Almost opulent for a Cornas! Yet with precision and minerality too. All frame rather than flesh at the moment but convincing. Confident and cool. (JR)