Maison Tardieu Laurent - Cornas - Coteaux

A fairly civilized Cuvée, easy to approach for the uninitiated. A pleasant wink from this Cru, often regarded as rustic… !

Presentation

The vintage
2015 - Vintages in « 5 », vintages which bring good luck. Often…

Spell of the years in « 5 » ? The fact is that, in recent decades, Vintages ending in « 5 » - 1985, 1995, 2005, and 2015 - , carry success stories, in Vallée du Rhône, but also, more generally, in the whole of the Vineyards of France. It must be said that 2015 put the odds on its side, with almost optimal climatic conditions for each and every season of the year! Thus, winter is rainy, allowing vines to benefit from good water reserves. Spring awakening is somewhat late - 3 weeks delay, compared to 2014, yet, the weather gradually settles, and flowering takes place in excellent conditions: the output of grapes is quite simply outstanding. The summer period arrives then quickly, with extremely hot months of June, July and August. Nevertheless, one cannot speak of heat wave, as the nights remain cool. Consequently, thermal amplitudes are absolutely phenomenal. No pressure from pests and diseases, the vineyard and the winemaker breathe freely. Everything is looking fine before the start of the harvest…
Ripe, but not too much. Summer and the month of September are punctuated by rains, avoiding the suffering of the vines, a key element during the summer period. The grapes mature slowly. Unfortunately, the rain that falls around September 20th is the "too much” rain... Pity, we were right next to a huge Vintage… But, well, no worry, the Style of the Vintage remains more than charming, with full, juicy, and silkiest Wines !
Terroir
Les Savaux, Les Chaillots, Patou sur les bas de coteaux.
Ageing
18 months in new and one vintage barrels - Tronçais et Allier. Then 6 months in foudre.
Vinification
50% distemmed.
Varietals
Serine
Syrah
Specifications
Alcohol content : 13,5% % vol.
Bottling : Sans collage, ni filtration.
Age of vines : 60 to 100 years. years old

Advice

Serving
16°C
Decant 2 hours before tasting.

Reviews

16+/20
"Dark blackish purple. Wild, wild nose! Not the pure direction of the Crozes and St-Joseph but a jangling cocktail of ingredients that does not, yet, quite communicate. The wildflower aromas are not quite as fresh as I’d like. It’s all a bit confused at present – a dumb stage? "
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90-92/100
"Leading off the two Cornas releases, the 2015 Cornas Cuvee Coteaux is a fresher, more lively wine that has a deep purple, almost blue-tinged color with notes of liquid violets, new saddle leather, black raspberries, cassis and freshly crushed rocks. It stays tight and compact on the palate, yet has medium to full-bodied richness, ripe tannin and surprisingly bright acidity. I’d like more mid-palate depth, but it’s good."
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94/100
"This bristles with energy, as briary structure pushes waves of bay leaf, lilac, savory, pepper, cassis, crushed plum and blackberry paste along. Shows a grippy edge on the finish, with iron and alder notes checking in."
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