WTN: Valle d'Aosta + younger Right Bank Bdx

2008 Institut Agricole Régional d’Aoste Valle d'Aosta DOC Cornalin
Made from Cornalin d’Aoste, not to be confused with the Swiss Cornalin du Valais, which I have never tried.
Light to medium-bodied, well balanced, with notes of cherries, stones and/or minerals, and alpine air. Good/very good.

2007 Società Cooperativa La Kiuva Valle d’Aosta DOC Arnad-Monjovet
About 70% Nebbiolo, with the rest a blend of Vien de Nus, Neyret, Cornalin d’Aoste, and Fumin. Nose has a clean aroma of alpine air. Medium-bodied, moderately tannic, yet delicate, with good underlying acidity; tastes of red berries and minerals, with herbal and alpine forest elements. Very good.
Incidentally, my first bottle of this wine was corked.

2005 Château les Gravières Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Lynsolence
100% Merlot. Coconut nose. Full, ripe, yet silky and nicely balanced, with smooth, rather firm tannins. Rather floral, with cherry, dark berry, chocolate, and currant notes. Very good – I liked the 2000 a bit more when I had it a couple of years ago, but this should still improve.

2003 Château la Couspaude Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé
70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Full, ripe, yet well balanced, smooth, not too tannic, with notes of dark fruits, cherries, plums, vanilla, and bacon fat. Very good.

2002 Château La Fleur de Boüard Lalande-de-Pomerol
80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon; under the same ownership as Château Angelus. Moderate in weight, soft, well balanced, with good finesse; showing dark fruit and cherry notes, with some minerality and light vanilla. Very good; a nice QPR Bordeaux at $22.

2008 Institut Agricole Régional d’Aoste Valle d'Aosta DOC Cornalin
Made from Cornalin d’Aoste, not to be confused with the Swiss Cornalin du Valais, which I have never tried.
Light to medium-bodied, well balanced, with notes of cherries, stones and/or minerals, and alpine air. Good/very good.

Cornalin is IMO one of the world's great "undiscovered" varieties. It produces beautiful results in its home Le Valais. Here is a TN from June 2010 -

Valais AOC Cornalin 2004 – Denis Mercier, Sierre (CH) – Alc. 13%. Cornalin is an indigenous red grape variety from Valais Switzerland. Aromas were well developed with steely sour cherry reminiscent of Northern Rhône but also fine savoury black currant, minerals and ivy. The palate was medium bodied, linear and long with brightly focussed juicy fruit and minerals, good acidity and an invigorating tang. This was slightly fuller, I think, than the 2002 drunk last year; the overall effect is robustly tasty and elegant at the same time; 16.5/20++.