Franck Balthzar Cornas Chaillot 2021

Mainly Chaillot (1914 Syrah), plus Mazards (1959, 1961), wild yeasts, whole bunch 2-week fermentation, manual cap punching, aged 5-year plus 600-litre casks 14-18 months (reduced from 16-24 months in early 2000s), unfined, unfiltered, organic wine
95-97
Opaque magenta. Intensely perfumed, mineral-tinged aromas of fresh black and blue fruits, licorice, bacon fat and olive paste, along with a suave floral overtone that builds as the wine opens up. Stains the palate with deeply concentrated but vibrant blackberry, boysenberry, violet pastille and exotic spice flavors, plus a smoky mineral flourish that gains strength through the back half. Chewy tannins shape an extremely long, mineral- and floral-driven finish that shows superb clarity and spicy drive.
**** JLL
quite a full red robe. Raspberry fronts the nose, light airs of dried herbs, Zan licorice, rose petals, is a bit reduced. The palate serves close-knit black cherry fruit with inner juice, is shrouded for now with a tannic thrust, a firm sand-grain element from half way. Its clear, typical Cornas in a restrained register, its juice clear, minted, running well through it. From 2025-26. 2044-46 Nov 2022