Jean-Luc Colombo Cornas Les Ruchets 2015 | The King of Cornas
Jean-Luc Colombo Cornas Les Ruchets 2015 presents a deep garnet. While intense notes of blueberry and black plum, complement notes of espresso, dark chocolate, and spicy oak. While medium-bodied and intense on the palate. Finally, with the dark fruit nicely complemented by subtle olive and cracked pepper flavors.
More fantastic Cellar Selections
JD95+ | From the Chaillot lieu-dit, the Jean-Luc Colombo Cornas Les Ruchets 2015 is slightly more firm and focused. Yet still offering sensational depth of fruit and richness. Blackberry liqueur, pen ink, cracked pepper. And hints of flowers all give way to a powerful, concentrated, opulent Cornas that has the fruit and texture to drink nicely today. But of course, the underlying structure to keep for two decades or more. Like the La Louvée, it spent 23 months in 15% new French oak, with the balance in neutral barrels.
WS95 | Dark and fleshy, with gorgeous blueberry reduction, warm fig and mulled blackberry flavors pumping through, inlaid with fresh bay leaf, lavender and charcoal notes. The long finish lets the fruit play out, with an added ganache detail. Best from 2020 through 2035. 820 cases made.
Winemaker Jean-Luc Colombo
Jean-Luc Colombo is nicknamed the King of Cornas, an impressive moniker considering that Cornas is the third scion in the holy trinity of northern Rhône appellations with Cote Rotie and Hermitage. His legendary contributions to the wine world need no introduction, he has been the in-demand consultant for dozens of Rhône Valley estates for decades now.
Explore today’s finds at Wine Access
It would be impossible to overestimate the influence Jean-Luc Colombo has had on Cornas and the Northern Rhône. Starting as a winemaker with a few rows of vines in 1987 and even fewer qualms about bucking tradition. Brusque and brilliant, while raising local hackles with his modern and controversial winemaking techniques. Notably destemming the fruit and aging his wines in new oak barriques. Hence, pioneering a new style of Northern Rhône Syrah. While standing in stark contrast to the traditional, age-demanding wines of appellation standard-bearer, Auguste Clape.
Winemaking wizard of the Rhone
Just over 30 years ago, Jean-Luc Colombo made his first vintage of Cornas Les Ruchets. It would be impossible to overestimate the influence he has had on Cornas and the Northern Rhône since then. Starting as a winemaker with a few rows of vines and even fewer qualms about bucking tradition. Colombo raised local hackles with his modern and controversial winemaking techniques:
He destemmed the fruit and aged his wines in new oak barriques, pioneering a new style of Northern Rhône Syrah. The process stood in stark contrast to the traditional, age-demanding wines of appellation standard-bearer Auguste Clape. Colombo’s irreverence helped raise the profile of Cornas even as he won his share of detractors. But the young winemaker eventually earned wide respect for the acclaim he brought to the previously overlooked appellation.
Colombo is now beginning to pass the torch to his daughter Laure. Together they are producing finer wines than ever before, according to peerless Rhône critic Jeb Dunnuck. By the numbers, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate tells the same story: Of the 56 90-plus point scores that the magazine has given to Colombo wines in the past three decades, two of the top three are from 2015 — and one is for Colombo’s Les Ruchets.
