2017 Cornas Arenes Sauvages

The wines from this quasi-co-op (I say “quasi” because all the wines are made from fruit crushed and fermented at the sprawling, highly modern Cave de Tain facility in Tain l’Hermitage) have never been better than they are today. No expense is spared, from a state-of-the-art optical grape sorter to highly specialized crushers and fermenters to aging foudres and barrels from France’s best tonneliers. Winemaking is overseen by the talented team of Xavier Frouin and Olivier Ciosi, and the range of offerings is vast, encompassing numerous bottlings from Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph (both red and white), Cornas and Saint-Péray. While the wines are usually quite polished, they’re by no means industrial or international in style. With few exceptions, alcohol levels are moderate and oak presence is understated. Wine lovers should be paying more attention to the work going on here.