Maison Tardieu Laurent - Cornas - Coteaux 2010

Michael Tardieu culls this wine from four vineyards in Cornas, the youngest vines more than half a century old. It shows the cool vintage beautifully, minty herbal notes adding extra freshness to the juicy red plum fruit. It may be light but it's also firm, the granite-cool minerality hovering just under the surface, with enough tannic grip to take on a Mangalitsa pork chop.

Tara Q Thomas
Wine & Spirit , 91/100 , 2014-02-01

This stood out among the Cornas tasted for this issue as being unusually red-fruited and herbal. Stewed raspberries tinged with briar stems manage to be mouthwatering despite some drying tannins. Not sure where this is headed.

Joe Cerwinzki
Wine Enthusiast , 87/100 , 2013-10-01

This has a nice sanguine note up front that melds into the core of crushed plum, blackberry and macerated black currant fruit. The very sleek iron-framed finish has excellent purity and drive.

James Molesworth
Wine Spectator , 93/100 , 2012-10-31

Opaque purple. Aromas of blackberry, blueberry, licorice and dark chocolate, lifted by a violet topnote. Dense, chewy and sweet, with broad, mouthfilling dark fruit flavors and a complicating note of black cardamom. This rich but lively Cornas finishes with molten tannins and excellent grip.

Josh Raynolds
Stephen Tanzers International Wine Cellar , 91-93/100 , 2012-04-01

From 50-plus-year-old vines. Exceptionally dark crimson. Powerful liquorice nose. A great fan of super-clean fruit almost hides the tannins but they are there in abundance. Aftertaste recalls an exceptionally powerful engine exhaust – in a positive way! Massive structure but it’s all muscle; no fat. Dry finish. Great stuff for the future.

Jancis Robinson , 17,5/20 , 2011-11-28