2010 Cornas, La Louvée, Jean-Luc Colombo, Rhône

2010 Cornas, La Louvée, Jean-Luc Colombo, Rhône

Product: 20108008642
 
2010 Cornas, La Louvée, Jean-Luc Colombo, Rhône

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Description

Jean-Luc Colombo started to acquire his vineyards in Cornas in 1987. A controversial figure, he also works as a consultant to a fair proportion of other producers and is perhaps well described as the Rhône's answer to Michel Rolland, the “flying winemaker” from Bordeaux. Jean-Luc is very much a “hands-on” producer. His theories, and his manner of putting them forward, have often been heavily criticised by his competitors, but his wines speak for themselves – full, deep and rich.

A south-facing granitic single vineyard, protected by cedar and oak trees, La Louvée (“she-wolf”, this one means) is aged for 24 months and is a beautifully aromatic wine, with notes of raspberry, blueberry and violets evidenced. The palate is silky and extremely long.

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Critics reviews

Jancis Robinson MW17/20
Very dark and black at the core. Fruit smells riper than Les Ruchets but still has the savoury character to keep it in check. Spice and minerals and black pepper. Then lively and almost red-fruited on the palate - quite a surprise after the aroma. Beautifully fine tannins - you could almost drink it now - and elegant, cool length. Real finesse.
(Jancis Robinson & Julia Harding MW - jancisrobinson.com - 1 Mar 2012) Read more

About this WINE

Jean-Luc Colombo

Jean-Luc Colombo

Jean-Luc Colombo, founder of the Centre Oenologique des Côtes du Rhône, started to acquire his vineyards in Cornas in 1987. A controversial figure, he also works as a consultant to a fair proportion of other producers and is perhaps well described as the Rhône's answer to Michel Rolland, the "flying winemaker" from Bordeaux.

Jean-Luc is very much a "hands-on" producer and believes in complete destemming, malolactic fermentation in cask, new oak and high attention towards impeccable cellar conditions. He also favours organic viticulture and less filtration before bottling. His theories, and his manner of putting them forward, have often been heavily criticised by his competitors, but his wines speak for themselves - full, deep and rich. His wines from the vineyard sites of Les Ruchets and Les Terres Brûlées are invariably excellent.
 

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Cornas

Cornas

Cornas is a small appellation, just 150 hectares, located south of St Joseph. It’s on the west side of the river. The name “Cornas” comes from an old Celtic dialect term, meaning “burnt land”, so it’s no surprise that on the steep terraces here, facing south, temperatures are significantly higher than those in Hermitage, which is just 7km away.

The granite soils are home to the Syrah grape, producing reds that sit somewhere between those of Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie. These are strong and powerful wines, with nervy acidity and a robust, rustic charm to them. Their prominent tannins mean that they often demand time in the cellar to express their underlying elegance and complexity.

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Syrah/Shiraz

Syrah/Shiraz

A noble black grape variety grown particularly in the Northern Rhône where it produces the great red wines of Hermitage, Cote Rôtie and Cornas, and in Australia where it produces wines of startling depth and intensity. Reasonably low yields are a crucial factor for quality as is picking at optimum ripeness. Its heartland, Hermitage and Côte Rôtie, consists of 270 hectares of steeply terraced vineyards producing wines that brim with pepper, spices, tar and black treacle when young. After 5-10 years they become smooth and velvety with pronounced fruit characteristics of damsons, raspberries, blackcurrants and loganberries.

It is now grown extensively in the Southern Rhône where it is blended with Grenache and Mourvèdre to produce the great red wines of Châteauneuf du Pape and Gigondas amongst others. Its spiritual home in Australia is the Barossa Valley, where there are plantings dating as far back as 1860. Australian Shiraz tends to be sweeter than its Northern Rhône counterpart and the best examples are redolent of new leather, dark chocolate, liquorice, and prunes and display a blackcurrant lusciousness.

South African producers such as Eben Sadie are now producing world- class Shiraz wines that represent astonishing value for money.

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