Showing the vintage's rounded, supple and forward character, the 2012 Cornas Vieilles Vignes reveals lots of black raspberry, crushed flowers, toasted bread and licorice aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, ripe, textured and layered, it's a polished and beautifully balanced Cornas to drink anytime over the coming 10-12 years. JD Sept 2015

Ripe, intense and very pure, offering a gorgeously sleek, polished beam of cassis, plum sauce and raspberry fruit, lined with mouthwatering iron, lavender and rosemary notes. The long finish has serious cut. Best from 2015 through 2030. 250 cases imported. JM Oct 2014

In contrast to the 2015 vintage, the 2012 Cornas Vieilles Vignes exceeds my expectations for its aging potential. Showing exceptionally well today and maintaining an insolent youthfulness, it unfurls from the glass with aromas of tobacco, dark wild berries, spices, plums, pencil lead and licorice. Medium- to full-bodied, structured and deep, layered and textured, it has a robust chassis of tannins and racy acids, culminating in a long, licorice-touched finish. The delicate rusticity, imparted by 20% whole bunches, combined with its freshness, renders this wine a standout in the context of its vintage.

(made with 20% whole clusters): Opaque purple. Sexy, complex bouquet of fresh dark berries, incense, potpourri and star anise. Lively, sharply focused and pure, with sappy blackberry and bitter cherry flavors complicated by suave spicecake and floral pastille accents. Supple tannins come on late and add shape to the long, spicy, penetrating finish.

Inky ruby. Deeply pitched aromas of cherry compote, dark chocolate, licorice pastille and black pepper. Broad, sweet and fleshy on the palate, with strong intensity to its singed plum, blackberry liqueur and bitter chocolate flavors. This powerful, concentrated, youthfully tannic wine finishes spicy and long, with excellent thrust and mineral-driven persistence. JR Feb 2015

Bottled in June 2014. Youthful, exuberant red fruit. Smoky, opulent, rich. Powdery tannic texture and a subtle peppery note. (RH)