2021 Auguste Clape "Renaissance" Cornas

The 2021 Cornas Renaissance checks in at 12.3% alcohol and is a charming, forward effort offering medium-bodied aromas and flavors of ripe red and blue fruits, pepper, and sappy herbs. It's balanced and has ripe tannins as well as the more focused texture of the vintage. Give it a year or two and enjoy over the following decade. I was thrilled to be able to retaste the 2020s during my visit with Pierre-Marie Clape, and it’s safe to say I underrated these last year. They’ve have morphed into heavenly wines that are unquestionably in the same league as the estate 2010s, 2018s, and 2019s. The 2021s here have pure, classic, old school-like profiles with more moderate concentration and depth, but good balance as well as length. Harkening back to wines from the 1980s, they’re already approachable yet should have 10-15 years of interesting drinking.