Cornas Les Arênes, Maison M. Chapoutier 2019

The 2019 Cornas Les Arênes has lots of granite-like character (although this comes from a mix of terroirs) in its bouquet garni, morello cherry, spice, and powdered rock and smoky nuances. Beautiful on the palate as well, it’s medium to full-bodied, has ripe yet building tannins, remarkable elegance, and a great finish. It’s beautifully done and just a classic, dark, smoky Cornas to drink over the coming 10-15 years.

Like almost all of Chapoutier's 2019s, the 2019 Cornas les Arênes is more impressive than its 2020 counterpart. Crushed stone, dried herbs, red plums and black cherries appear on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is rich, concentrated and dense. It's an exceptional vintage for this cuvée, finishing long and softly dusty. 2023-2035