Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 27/12/2012

The 2010 Cornas Granite 30 is far superior out of bottle than it was from barrel last year. Full-bodied and tannic as well as enormously rich and concentrated with what the French call sucrosite (a sweetness that comes from ripe fruit, not residual sugar), this black/purple-colored 2010 requires 4-5 years of cellaring and should last for 25 years.

Vincent Paris is a child of Cornas and his biodynamically run estate now encompasses around 17-18 acres, from which he fashions three remarkable cuvees, the Granite 30, Granite 60 Vieilles Vignes and an offering from the well-known parcel of La Geynale. Paris has enjoyed three consecutive remarkable vintages (as have a number of the finest Cornas producers), 2009, 2010 and 2011. The Granite 30 generally comes from the lower hillside parcels of a lieu-dit called Mazards with soils that are mostly decomposed granite. These are also his youngest vines. You would never know that by tasting what Paris has produced in 2011 and 2010. The Granite 60 comes from three separate parcels of a lieu-dit called Sauman, which is opposite of another famous lieu-dit called Reynard. As Paris says, this is an area that gives more body as well as freshness than other terroirs in Cornas. Vines planted in these three parcels are 20, 60 and 100 years of age.