1999 Auguste Clape, Cornas 1x750ml

Robert Parker 91

The 1999 Cornas is a brilliant effort in a Cornas vintage that produced an atypically high percentage of mediocrity. The wine displays soft tannin, but good underlying acidity, terrific blackberry and cassis-like fruit, a saturated black/purple color, and aromas of roasted meats, jammy black fruits, hickory smoke, and licorice. Fine purity, sweet tannin, and well-integrated acidity and alcohol result in a seamless impact. This full-bodied, large-scaled offering will be at its finest between 2005-2016. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524 [Robert Parker, 04/01/2002]

Anticipated maturity: 2005-2016

Vinous 90+

(the later bottling, done in September with somewhat less fining) Good medium ruby. Liqueur-like, superripe aroma shows a hint of damp earth and seems a bit more evolved than that of the earlier bottling. Fat, sweet and very rich, with a flavor of kirsch Seems a bit less fresh-fruity in style than the earlier bottling and more spicy. Finishes very long, with substantial, slightly tough tannins. The early bottling is sweeter and easier to approach today, while this strikes me as more typical and perhaps more serious older-style Cornas. [Stephen Tanzer, 01/01/2002]