2012 Saint-Joseph Les Lauves

I tasted through the new Colombo line-up with Anne and Jean-Luc Colombo's daughter Laure this year, and while Anne Colombo was present it's very clear that the younger Colombo is calling the shots for the family's wines now.Armed with a prestigious degree as a full oenologue from Montpellier--the same diploma and alma mater both of her parents have, by the way--Laure clearly has the education and experience (she has done lengthy stints in New Zealand, at Chateau Haut Brion and at Domaine Saint-Prefert in Chateauneuf-du-Pape) necessary to keep things humming along here.In Laure's opinion 2012 may lack the grandeur of 2010 "but for people who only want to wait a few years before drinking them it's actually a better vintage from a practical standpoint.The '10s are for long aging and not the type of wines that are friendly young."The lighter 2011s are even better for the impatient drinker or for restaurants that place wines on their list immediately after they receive them.That's crazy to do with a Cornas, as she pointed out, "but economics have made it so that it's just the most luxurious or wine-crazy restaurants that hold wines back until proper maturity."