2010 Cornas Vallon de l'Aigle

Stereotypes die hard: the fact that the Colombo family's use of new barrels has been significantly dialed back over the last decade doesn't put an end to this estate's ongoing reputation as a producer of hyper-modern, over-oaked wines.I seriously wonder how many people who perpetuate this generalization have even tried the wines, especially after the bottles have had some age.Jean-Luc and Anne Colombo's daughter, Laure, has moved fully into the winemaking position here following her enologue studies (effectively a PhD) at Monpellier and stages at Chateau Haut-Brion and Domaine Saint-Prefert, in Chateauneuf-du-Pape.I asked about the family's choice to make Cornas with completely de-stemmed grapes, still a relatively uncommon practice; she said that while her parents initially did it to emphasize the fruit and to not add stem tannins to the tannins that came from oak fermentation and aging, her simple answer now is that she "personally can't stand the flavor of cinnamon, which is such a strong by-product of whole-cluster fermentations."