2010 Cornas Les Vieilles Vignes

"Since 2011 comes after two amazing vintages, it's destined to be ignored by many people," according to winemaker and director Alberic Mazoyer. That said, he thinks that 2011 "will probably turn out to be superior to the other so-called little years, since 2003 (2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008, specifically)," with more fruit as well as bright acidity. "It's a very charming year, with lots of appealing fruit and gentle tannins," he added. "The wines have energy and will be great for drinking over the next five years, at least. They should be drunk up by the time you start in on the 2010s, which deserve patience." There will be no Vieilles Fontaines in 2011 because Mazoyer thinks that Fontaines should showcase the power and ageworthiness of Cornas and this isn't that type of vintage. The set of 2010s here is extremely strong; in fact, it's the most impressive group of wines I can recall tasting chez Voge, but readers are strongly advised to resist the temptation to open them too young. Mazoyer told me, "these are wines that have the potential to be the best since at least 1978," and he hopes that enough bottles are still around 35 years from now to make that point.

The fact that the 2010 harvest took place a full three weeks later than that of 2009 is the reason why the tannins of the earlier vintage are less harmonious, according to winemaker Alberic Mazoyer. "Two thousand nine was a much hotter season and the fruit had to be brought in a bit early because acids were dropping. In 2010 we were able to pick whenever we wanted." Mazoyer showed me all of the 2009 Saint-Perays again this year because when I tasted them last November they had only been in bottle for a short spell. The Harmonie is an open-knit, highly appealing wine that is just as lively as it was last year, but with added heft and roundness. I'd drink it over the next three years or so. As for the Terres Boisees, I liked its blend of richness and vivacity and was surprised by how it seems to have firmed up in the last year. Mazoyer says that he think it will be at its peak in another two years and that it should be served "with a rich fish dish with lots of butter," which sounds like a good plan to me. The 2009 Fleur de Crussol has also tightened up in the last twelve months and is now emphasizing its minerality and florality. I suspect that it will be a slow ager, although it is pretty alluring right now, especially with some aeration.