2017 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Cornas Domaine de St. Pierre

Coming from cooler, higher elevation parcels, the 2017 Cornas Domaine de Saint Pierre is fresh and lively, with medium-bodied notes of blue fruits, sappy flowers, graphite, and a hint of game. I love its balance and it’s not a blockbuster but is pure class. Readers who love older vintages of Jaboulet’s flagship Hermitage La Chapelle should be happy with how owner Caroline Frey has managed this domaine since taking over in 2006. She has singlehandedly brought this estate back to its former glory, particularly with their Hermitage releases. Their second wine today, the Maison Bleue, is unquestionably a better wine than many past vintages of their flagship La Chapelle, and I suspect will age even longer.

The 2017 Cornas Domaine de Saint Pierre is showing more cedary oak than I recall from last year. It frames crushed stone and red currants in a wine that's full-bodied but structured and crisp, finishing on tart notes of cranberries and citrus. Give it another year or two to see if it bounces back from bottling to look more like the wine I saw from barrel last year.

There’s an array of wet dark stones, flint, wild herbs and fresh dark berries on offer here with a sleek, deep, berry edge to the richly fruited palate that has fleshy, open-knit and succulent fruit impact. There’s a handy interplay of savory character on the finish. Try from 2022.