Cornas and Hermitage

Why is that almost every time there's a bottle of highly regarded Hermitage on the same table as a geeky Cornas, the Cornas seems to stand head and shoulders above in so many instances? I've had some great bottles of Hermitage from some very classic/traditional producers - and yet stopped paying attention to even a '90 Chave once when a bottle of Verset was firing on all cylinders. At another recent dinner that David posted on, I couldn't move away from a 1990 Robert Michel La Geynale Cornas, even with a wonderful, elegant bottle of '83 Jaboulet La Chapelle beside it. Am I just nuts, or just somewhat obsessed with Cornas? (or C) All of the above?)

And when a friend and I opened a bottle of each from two wonderful, traditional producers, my reaction was not surprising - no prizes for guessing which bottle we drained first.

2001 Bernard Faurie Hermitage
Still very young, but so full of promise. Bright red and dark fruited flavours, savoury meatiness, leather and earth all coming together in a package that conveys both power and elegance at once. It's still rather primary and youthful with a fair bit of tannin making its presence felt on the back end, but the balance is fantastic and I imagine this will age very well, it's a fantastic, very traditional expression of Hermitage.

2000 Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillot
This is just fantastic. The fruit's so incredibly pure, fresh and vibrant that it could easily be mistaken for a much younger wine, yet at the same time it's showing a spectrum of developed meatiness, earth and leathery flavours with floral and spicy accents around the fresh red and dark fruited flavours. Amazing balance, a texture I might have expected in a great red Burgundy and such length - just a stunning bottle of wine.

The wine that wine that is better (to you) is the wine that is better, not the wine that's supposed to be better.

[Jenise]

I can't imagine anyone blaming you when a good Thierry Allemand is on the table, Salil. It's a game-changer.

That's infanticide for a wine from Faurie but I share your passion for good Cornas.

[David M. Bueker]

Fact is Salil, you love Cornas. Not that ther is anything wrong with that. It's perfectly natural.

I think you're just CRAZY for CORNAS, and Humbled by Hermitage.

I think it boils down to what you prize most in Syrah: Cornas hasn't got the depth or majesty of the best examples of Hermitage, but it does have plenty of character, albeit often rustic in nature (Allemand being the big exception here). I think that part of Hermitage's reputation was built on its longevity, too. Even Verset's Cornas will fade while a Chave Hermitage or older La Chapelle continues to gain in complexity. That may have been more important to the English aristocracy than to us, though.

Mark Lipton