Domaine Alain Voge Cornas Vieilles Vignes 2014

(made with 20 percent whole clusters and 20 percent new oak) Youthful purple. High-pitched, mineral-accented aromas of blackberry, cherry and olive paste are complemented by an incense note and a strong suggestion of smoky Indian spices. Sappy, pliant and alluringly sweet, offering palate-coating black and blue fruit and spicecake flavors and a subtle hint of vanilla. Finishes sweet, focused and extremely long, displaying smoky mineral and floral pastille notes and velvety, slow-building tannins.

By Josh Raynolds February 2017