Alain Voge, Cornas, Les Viellies Vignes 2017

Vines with an average age of 60 years from lieux-dits Combe, Patou, La Côte, Les Mazards and Chaillot provide the fruit for this Cornas. It spends 20 months in barriques, around 20% new. There are multiple layers to the aromatic palate: rosemary, thyme, herbal bitters, blackberry, blackcurrant and loganberry. A medium-bodied, concentrated but unforced wine with no excessive extraction, a subtly spiced finish and sinewy, brushed tannins. Detailed, focussed, structured and textural, this is captivating and true to its terroir.

Inky violet color. Intensely perfumed aromas of ripe black/blue fruits, exotic spices, potpourri and olive are sharpened by a smoky mineral flourish. Juicy and expansive in the mouth, offering alluringly sweet blueberry and cherry preserve flavors along with hints of licorice and candied flowers. The floral and spice qualities repeat emphatically on an impressively long, energetic finish that features well-knit tannins and a resonating mineral note.

The 2017 Cornas Les Vieilles Vignes comes from the older vines of the estate and higher elevation south and southeast facing terroirs and is still aging in 15-20% new French oak. It has a tighter, more inward style in its crème de cassis, toasted spice, graphite, and floral aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, with plenty of fat and opulent, beautiful underlying tannins, and sensational purity of fruit, it's a gem of a wine that's going to benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and keep for 10-15 years. This cuvée was first released from this estate in 1970.

Bottled in June 2019, the 2017 Cornas Vieilles Vignes still seemed shut down when I tasted it, marked by cedary oak and mixed berry flavors. It's full-bodied and silky-textured, framed by surprisingly tart acids on the long, crisp finish. Worth noting is that this includes the fruit that normally goes into the les Vieilles Fontaines, as that wine was not bottled in 2017. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes.