The most meaty and wild of the bunch, the 2012 Cornas Chamelrose, which sees roughly 25% new oak, exhibits loads of smoked meats, truffle, forest floor and sweet black and blue fruits. The most approachable of the group, with medium to full-bodied richness, a supple, rounded texture and fine tannin, it can be enjoyed any time over the coming decade. This was a stacked lineup from this top-notch estate, and I was able to taste through the lineup multiple times, once while visiting the domaine, and again in a larger lineup of wines from each appellation. They never failed to impress. Located in the tiny town of Chateaubourg and covering roughly 50 acres in Saint-Joseph and 20 in Cornas, most of which are ideally situated, Courbis is now run by Laurent and Dominique Courbis, with Laurent running the cellar and Dominique managing the vineyards. Despite the high quality, these wines remain reasonably priced, and also see good distribution in the US. It’s an estate that needs to be on every Northern Rhone lover’s short list. Importer: Russell Herman, Berkeley Heights, NJ; tel. (908) 771-9082