Raw, elemental Syrah borne of granite ​​​

LIMIT 3
Ripe red and black fruits, cured meats, leather, pepper, and graphite notes all define the 2022 Cornas Les Chailles, a medium to full-bodied, balanced, serious Cornas that has solid structure, a layered, building mouthfeel, and a great finish. Coming from vines lower on the slopes, it was destemmed and brought up in used barrels. It will benefit from just a few years in the cellar and evolve nicely over the following decade or more. Drink 2027-2037. JEB DUNNUCK

An attractive gush of fresh blackberry, boysenberry and fig is amply coated in salt in this full-bodied version. Seductive, with polished tannins giving a silky impression until they firmly shore up the finish. Tangy acidity keeps this pumping along, with savory details emerging and inviting another sip. Well-done. Drink now through 2035. KRISTEN BIELER

 

LIMIT 4
Straight-up classic Cornas from a mix of terroirs and older vines, the 2022 Cornas Vieilles Vignes has rocking cassis, violets, pepper, and exotic floral and incense-like aromatics. These carry to a medium to full-bodied, concentrated Cornas with the ripe, expressive, perfumed style of the vintage as well as the firmer, focused tannins that will benefit from bottle age. Do your best to give bottles 4-5 years and enjoy over the following decade. Drink 2029-2039. JEB DUNNUCK

Strappy plum and licorice-steeped cherry make a ripe impression in this vibrant, well-packed red. Vibrant and energetic on the palate, with details of baking spices and violet. Fluid and harmonious on the palate, with fine tannins keeping pace, but it's the steely mineral wall that really firms this up, making for a serious, solid finish. Best from 2026 through 2040. KRISTEN BIELER, winespectator.com

LIMIT 2
The tiny production 2022 Cornas Les Vieilles Fontaines comes from the site of the estate’s oldest Syrah vines, an 80-year-old vineyard planted in granite soil. It's a sensational looking barrel sample that's going to rank with the top handful of wines in the appellation. Cassis, blueberries, spring flowers, game, and liquid violet notes are just some of its nuances, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a layered, broad mouthfeel, and ripe yet certainly present tannins. It's going to need 3-5 years of cellaring but will evolve for two decades. (95-97) JEB

A powerful, firmly structured Cornas, with beautiful freshness to its plum and anise notes as they take on a strong, savory dimension, layered with woodsy forest floor, bay leaf and oregano. Tangy, racy acidity pumps through, and smoky, bitter iron carries on the finish, with firm tannins giving this an austere feel now. This needs cellar time to reveal its full potential. Best from 2027 through 2040. 202 cases made. KRISTEN BIELER, winespectator.com
 

STAFF PICKS 2024 - SARA TORRES

When you open a bottle of Domaine du Tunnel you know that you are opening the door of the purity and terroir. Cornas 2022 is delicate, with lighter body than other producers from the area but with all the intensity and complexity. On the palate is delicate, full of blueberries, graphite, raw meet and spices. If you close your eyes, you can see a purple and velvet cake in a glass of wine. Simply delicious. SARA TORRES

The 2022 Cornas brings another level of density and depth, and while tasting it, you feel like you're eating a raw piece of meat given its bloody, meaty, profile. Dense purple-hued, with notes of blueberries, roasted herbs, iron, and ground pepper, this beauty is full-bodied, has a silky, layered mouthfeel, fine tannins, and a great finish. It's a big, powerful Cornas, yet it still shows the focused style of the vintage beautifully. (96) JEB DUNNUCK

Tasting this very powerful and concentrated Cornas is like listening to a piece of organ music when the bass kicks in. Very meaty. A wealth of blackberry aromas unfurls as it aerates in the glass. More than enough fruit and flesh to wrap around the imposing core of beautifully crafted tannins. The deep bass notes echo on and on in the compelling finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2027. (98) STUART PIGGOT

notably dark robe; the nose has a beef stock, firm air of black cherry, is one that hints more than declares, notes of violets, rose petals within. The palate serves stylish content, tasty early dark fruit, picks up clear, rather menthol like tannins that bring a direct line through it, cut, iron filings along it, has a springy tone - an achievement this year, that sense of lift-energy in a notably hot, dry year. The length is sure, persists, and the tannins fit pretty well. There is a good incidence of fruit here, with concentration - but that concentration lies within, is not oppressive. 5 STAR WINE, JOHN LIVINGSTONE LEARMONTH 

…Reminding me of the 2017, the 2022 Cornas reveals gorgeous red and black fruits, violets, bouquet garni, and gamey, iron-like nuances. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has fine tannins, beautiful overall balance, plenty of mid-palate depth, and a gorgeous finish. This is well worth your time and money, and I'd be thrilled with bottles in the cellar. Hide bottles for 5-7 years and enjoy over the following two decades. Drink 2030-2050. (97) JEB DUNNUCK