2016 Cornas Lieu Dit Les Eygats

From a cooler, higher elevation terroir in the appellation, the 2016 Cornas Lieu Dit Les Eygats offers some serious ripeness and richness as well as notes of blackberries, currants, melted licorice, crushed rocks, and violets. Rich, full-bodied, powerful and concentrated, it has a sensational texture, ripe, tannins, and a great finish. It puts its foot firmly on the ripeness pedal but holds it together beautifully. I feel as though my ratings on the wines of Ferraton go up every year, and these 2016s are another brilliant, incredibly consistent lineup from this team. It’s worth mentioning that Ferraton is run by Michel Chapoutier. However, they have a separate, designated winemaking team. The only drawback to these wines is that, by and large, they’re made in tiny quantities.

Located at 300 meters above sea level, the Les Eygats is among the last of the Cornas vineyards to be harvested. The 2016 Cornas Lieu-Dit Les Eygats features cedary, meaty aromas but also plenty of red raspberry fruit. Medium to full-bodied, it's rich, layered and long, approachable now but capable of aging for a decade or more.

(15% new oak) Bright purple. Candied black and blue fruits, licorice and a hint of olive on the deeply perfumed nose. Fleshy and energetic on the palate, offering sappy boysenberry and bitter cherry flavors sharpened by a jolt of cracked pepper. Shows very good clarity and a touch of candied violet on a long, fully tannic finish.