2008 Cornas

From Pigeonnier, ten-year-old vines: Pretty red and dark berry aromas, with good spicy lift. Juicy, focused, gently sweet black raspberry and blueberry flavors and spicy back-end cut. From Chaillot and Tezier: More minerality than the first sample, showing fresh red fruit and cracked pepper qualities along with a subtle floral note. Sharper and more tangy than the Pigeonnier but deeper as well. From older vines in Reynard, Chaillot and Tezier: Highly aromatic red berries, Asian spices and fresh flowers. Racy and pure, with sweet raspberry and blackberry flavors framed by silky tannins. Very good, spicy persistence. From Reynard and Le Bois, which abuts Chaillot: The deepest and richest of this set, offering deep dark berry and kirsch aromas and flavors, with complicating notes of licorice and smoky minerals. A kick of black pepper adds vibrancy to the finish. The final blend, assuming there is only one wine, looks to be a very pretty, accessible wine.