Highlights: Franck Balthazar Cornas 2022 Northern Rhône, France
A beautiful low-intervention Cornas. It’s an appellation with just 110 hectares, and in the past people dismissed the wines as rustic. But now this northern Rhône appellation is making some of the planet’s most desired examples of Syrah.
Franck Balthazar Cornas 2022 Northern Rhône, France
13% alcohol. This has beautiful aromatics, with sweet black cherry, some black pepper, a touch of charcoal and some gravelly savouriness. In the mouth there’s some depth, with drying tannins and a bit of grip, but also some grainy, spicy detail. Just a hint of olive with good tannins, and some sleek fruit. Lots of different elements here, but they all pull together in nice harmony, giving a wine that’s really the essence of northern Rhône Syrah, with a clear Cornas accent. Quite brilliant, and so true to type. 95/100
