Glass-staining ruby. A highly perfumed, complex bouquet evokes ripe cherry and blueberry, complicated by notes of candied violet, incense and Indian spices. Sappy and expansive on the palate, with intense dark berry liqueur and floral pastille flavors energized by juicy acidity. Shows superb vivacity and lift on the youthfully tannic, dark-fruit-dominated finish, which lingers with focus and tenacity.

Bottle in June, the 2013 Cornas Vieilles Vignes is a beautiful Cornas that exhibits textbook notes of black cherries, liquid violets, lots of crushed rock-like minerality and ample peppery herbs. Albéric commented on the difficulty in getting ripe tannins, but there's no tannin issues with this 2013, and it has medium-bodied depth and richness, integrated acidity and solid overall ripeness. Give it a 2-3 years in the cellar and enjoy bottles over the following decade or so.