This is not the most fabulous wine on the planet. It’s really really good, but nothing I would consider mind-bogglingly good–I’ve had many Syrahs of this age and of less-prominent provenance which compelled further. This is the last bottle of a tissue-wrapped, wooden-box 6-pack I STOLE from Mark Stellar about 7 years ago… I’ve gifted a couple of them, and dranken the rest myself and you can go back if you’re terribly bored and see I have written similar things about each leading-up-to bottle. In the grand scheme of Syrah–and especially Cornas–this fades a bit in both expectation and delivery. It’s good, but rather milquetoast, all things considered.
Earthy, vegetal nose, but bland and un-invigorating in its delivery. Peaty definition exists, but complexity is wanton and vague. Fruit a dried-cherry sorta application upon almost tired presentation.
Tasting it follows through on these thoughts. Vapid and predictable, it brings up acidic and spicy glory which fades fast in expectation of ridiculous fruit and tertiary. It’s safe and predictable, a really GOOD presentation of Syrah but nothing you call your mom about. Lacking any single item directing toward greatness, it exists merely as a place-mark of the genre rather than a bright star. Do I hate this wine? Absolutley not. Do I wish it somehow churned up gobs of things worth glowing about: definitely. None of that is here. It’s balanced and delicious and comprises a grouping of nuances easy to throw out, but I just wish there was more *there* there.
2010 JEAN-LUC COLOMBO ‘Terres Brulees’ Syrah Cornas Rhone France 13.0
Stephen McConnell 