2014 Auguste Clape, Cornas, Renaissance

The 2014s are more elegant, silky and streamlined, yet offer classic characters and will evolve gracefully. Readers looking for a smoking good Cornas to drink over the coming 7-8 years need to latch onto bottles of the 2014 Cornas Renaissance, which is the estate’s entry-level cuvée. Classic Clape in every way, with its meaty, bloody, iron, crushed rock and violet-tinged fruit, it’s medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated and supple, with beautiful fruit. There's plenty of fine tannin here, but it also has a solid density of fruit and a beautiful texture. It's already hard to resist.

Tasted in components: #1, from Patou: Vibrant red berries and fresh flowers on the nose. Spicy and sharply focused, offering good lift and cut on the back half. Quite elegant, with a silky finish and lingering sweetness. #2, from young-ish vines in Reynard: Black raspberry, peppery spice and violet aromas, with a building suggestion of smokiness. Bright, juicy and spicy on the palate, with intense dark berry and floral pastille flavors and a touch of candied licorice. Ample but lithe Cornas with strong finishing grip. #3, from Petite Côte: Wilder and more pungent than the preceding foudres, showing an intense smoke- and game-accented black and blue fruit character and a hint of allspice. Sappy and broad in the mouth, with strong dark fruit and floral flavors and a bracing jolt of acidity. Clings very nicely on the finish, with solid tannins adding shape.

Medicinal and smoky on the nose with surprisingly strong oak spice on the nose – though not the palate. Suitably rustic and dense in structure. (RH)