Cornas to drink now: my top 20
Notoriously rugged, the only thing that can truly tame a Cornas is time. The question I’m often asked by thirsty Rhône collectors is this – how much longer must I wait?
In fact, there are two main windows in which to open a bottle. The first is when the wine is young, a year or two after bottling, when it’s still surging with fruit and spice. Young Cornas can roar with tannin, but if you like savoury Syrahs with impact and intensity, it can be a thrilling ride. Particularly if paired with similarly sizzling food.
Some argue it’s a waste to open Cornas so young, as you miss out on the complexity of age. They would rather wait for the second drinking window: 10 years or older, when it’s ready to give up some of its deeper secrets.
Producer Guillaume Gilles says that a good Cornas shouldn’t be opened until it’s at least 10 years old, and is unlikely to be fully developed until it’s 20 or 30. ‘The problem is,’ he says ruefully, ‘perhaps I will never see the result of my work.’ When it comes to Cornas, one lifetime is never enough.
