2020 Domaine Lionnet Cornas Terre Brulee

Ludovic and Corinne farm very old plantings (40 to 100 years old) in several notable Cornas vineyards, which are all blended into their single flagship cuvée “Terre Brulée”: Mazards, with 50-year-old vines in granite-inflected soils of clay-limestone, is dark and powerful; Chaillot contributes classic granitic heft and dusty spice; clay-limestone Pied de la Vigne, which flanks Chaillot’s eastern edge, provides structural rigor; and Combe, the southernmost lieu-dit in the appellation, comprises sandy granite soils which give rounder, more voluptuous fruit and overtly floral aromas. Aged entirely in well-used 600- liter demi-muids, the 2019 “Terre Brulée” is achingly classic—a Cornas of immense concentration, deep, meaty aromatics, an almost shockingly effusive spiciness, and a bristling tension that beckons for a bit of patience but is thrilling in its vibrancy. The bar continues to be set ever higher with each new vintage chez Lionnet.