Domaine Vincent Paris, Cornas, La Geynale 2017

Le Geynale is the producer's flagship Cornas sourced from top vineyard sites and old vines. Black cherry and plum flavors are dense and potent but nuanced by violet perfume and layers of iron, graphite and dried herb. Ripe, integrated tannins are appealing already but this massively complex wine begs further cellar age. It should reward drinking through 2040, likely further.

Vincent Paris's crowning achievement in 2017 is his 2017 Cornas la Geynale, which comes from 100-year-old vines on a parcel that faces due south. This is wild and woolly, boasting a wild ride of cracked pepper, blueberries, espresso and floral-herbal notes. Full-bodied and creamy-supple in texture on the mid-palate, it firms up on the long, long finish, ending with dusty tannins and plenty of grip.

Opaque ruby. A deeply perfumed bouquet evokes ripe cherry and black currant, along with suggestions of smoky bacon, tobacco and incense. Seamless and broad on the palate, offering sweet black and blue fruit preserve and floral pastille flavors given spine by a core of juicy acidity. Rich yet energetic in style, displaying youthfully gripping tannins and impressive finishing clarity and persistence. This is the only wine from the Paris cellar to be made entirely with whole clusters.