2008 Jean-Luc Colombo Cornas Les Ruchets

2008 Jean-Luc Colombo Cornas Les Ruchets

2008 Jean-Luc Colombo Cornas Les Ruchets

Inky black with a complex nose with both floral and fruity notes.

Flavors of black fruit, black currants and herbs dominate, accented by a touch of vanilla. A solid, concentrated wine that will continue to evolve for at least two decades.

Wine Spectator (92/100)
Ripe and brambly, with a very solid core of red and black currant fruit mashed with spice, tobacco and roasted cocoa hints. The long finish lets iron, cocoa and spice play out nicely, with ample flesh. Drink now through 2016.

Wine Enthusiast (91/100)
Full bodied and lush, with hints on sweet, smoky oak layered over espresso, black olive and sour plum. With faint suggestions of dried fruit and chocolate yet ample freshness on the finish, this seems a bit disjointed at the moment; drink 2016-2024.

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.