2006 Cornas, Cuvée du Coteaux, R. Michel

The famous Vin Noir of Charlemagne, Cornas is the most southerly of the northern Rhône appellations, and produces a serious heavy-weight Syrah that benefits from a little aging, even in a charming and approachable vintage such as 2006. Robert Michel, along with Auguste Clape, was one of the key figures behind the emergence of Cornas over the last thirty years.

Robert retired in 2008, handing over his steep granitic vineyards to his enthusiastic nephew Vincent Paris. Vincent is doing great things of course, but it seemed the end of an era when Robert decided that 2007 would be his last vintage. Everything is very traditional, with the entire process manual and the wines aged in old wooden vats for differing lengths of time to suit the character of the vintage in question.

2006 has yielded wines that are far softer and less tannic than those of 2005 and 2007, in itself no bad thing with Cornas, which can sometimes be a little austere in youth. This example is anything but austere, capturing as it does the essence of fine Syrah from a great grower at the top of his game.
(Simon Field MW - BBR Rhône Buyer)