2016 Cornas Chante-Perdrix

Claire Darnaud and Jacques Grange have crafted an impressive set of graceful wines from the 2016 vintage; in fact, they rival the outstanding collection produced here in 2015 but, predictably, in a more graceful and forward style. Claire calls the 2016s “wines that are exceptionally true to their origin, without too much ripeness to hide their character or too much tannin to make them require long aging to be expressive.” The past decade has seen this long-established grower/négociant’s wines steadily rise into the upper quality tier of the region, with the Hermitages Les Bessards and Côte-Rôtie La Landonne now consistently among the top bottlings of those appellations.

Claire Darnaud and Jacques Grange told me that “people who prefer 2010 over 2009 will probably prefer 2016 to 2015 for their energy and structure.” Darnaud pointed out that while the 2016s might come off less dense and rich than the 2015s “it will be a mistake to think that the wines won’t age well” as they have the balance to last into their second decade, “much like a lot of 2007s,” a vintage that many wrote off as overtly forward and not cellar-worthy. The 2016s are also more “classic in character and appellation-specific” than the 2015s, she said, “but the ‘15s will be less about the vintage in another ten years or so. Not now, though.” Construction of the new Delas facility in the center of Tain l’Hermitage continues slowly because of bureaucratic wrangling, resulting in delays (“this is France, after all,” Darnaud quipped.) The team has their fingers crossed that it will be ready for the 2018 harvest.