2012 Paul Jaboulet Cornas Domaine de Saint Pierre, Northern Rhone

Since 2006, owner Caroline Frey has been steadily pushing for increased quality at this historic estate. Moving all of the vineyards to sustainable farming.

The 2012 Cornas Domaine de Saint Pierre comes from a plot of vines, located at the top of the appellation (higher elevation means cooler temperatures), that was purchased in 1996. 

Harvested very late and inky purple to the rim, it gives up wild, gamey notes of olive, green herbs, plum and liquid violets, as well as edgy minerality, on the nose. Medium-bodied, rich and beautifully textured, with surprising elegance, it shows how successful this appellation was in 2012. Possessing ample tannin on the finish, give it another year or three in the cellar once released and enjoy it over the following decade.

90-93+ points Jeb Dunnuck robertparker.com

Deep ruby. An explosive, seductively perfumed bouquet evokes fresh blueberry, cassis, potpourri and black olive, with a smoky nuance gaining power with air. Shows very good depth and focus on the palate, offering sweet dark fruit flavors braced by tangy acidity. Quite lithe and suavely tannic for a Cornas (Caroline Frey pointed out that this is always the case for this wine, which is sourced from one of the appellation's highest and coolest sites), finishing with excellent clarity and lift.

93 points Josh Raynolds vinous.com