Jean-Luc Colombo Syrah Cornas Terres Brûlées 2011 | Old World Syrah at its Best!

Jean-Luc Colombo Syrah Cornas Terres Brûlées 2011 presents Opaque in color, with a touch of ruby to the rim. Brooding aromas of smoke and spice yield to notes of blackberry, blueberry compote, leather, and pink peppercorn. The full-body and softened tannins give the wine a leathery, meaty texture, with smoke and spice mingling with blackberry cobbler and tilled earth. Incredibly well-structured, with a long, savory finish.

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94WS Editors’ Choice) Dried spices, cracked pepper, and roasted meat notes scream of Syrah and the Northern Rhône. It’s medium to full in body, but with fine tannins and bright acidity, making it remarkably easy to drink. Approachable now, Jean-Luc Colombo Syrah Cornas Terres Brûlées 2011 should still be drinking well through 2030.

Big Name | Tiny Production

Like Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage—the other two appellations that define European Syrah—Cornas is a big name with a tiny production.  Meaning that a perfectly aged bottling from a revered producer is like a total eclipse: something you should savor anytime you get the chance. In other words, this is a wine you can buy without hesitation and enjoy without a twinge of that dreaded “maybe-we-should-have-waited” guilt.

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So what to expect from your eight-year-old bottle of Colombo Terre Brûlées Cornas? Raised from Syrah vines that climb straight up from vertiginous slopes, battered by wind and intense sunshine, Jean Luc Colombo’s Terres Brûlées is an opaque ruby wine, showing a little age at the rim. A nose of brooding smoke and spice notes, berry compote, leather, and peppercorns. While a full body, meaty texture, and long, savory finish. This is Old World Syrah at its finest hour.

Jean-Luc Colombo

Jean-Luc Colombo is known as one of the most influential winemakers in Cornas, and certainly one of the more controversial. During his rise, he raised local hackles by using modern winemaking techniques.  First, destemming and new oak aging.  Hence producing a style of Cornas that stood in stark contrast to the staunchly traditional wines of the reigning standard-bearer Auguste Clape. While Colombo’s irreverence earned him many detractors, his wines got attention, and he eventually won wide respect for the acclaim that he brought to his previously overlooked appellation.