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.

(20% new oak): Bright purple. Explosive aromas of black and blue fruits, peppery spices, licorice and minerals, with a suave floral quality building in the glass. Fleshy and expansive on the palate, with excellent clarity and depth to its blueberry and violet pastille flavors. The floral note recurs on a long, penetrating finish that's framed by velvety, smoothly integrated tannins. All of the fruit that would normally comprise the Vieilles Fontaines bottling went into this cuvée in this vintage.

Smooth black fruit with a slight charred quality. High but fine tannin, really mouthcoating. Chewy. Not as aromatically engaging as their Chailles 2013, for me – but still a delicious drink. (RH)