Still in good nick, the 2009 Cornas Lieu-Dit Patou shows virtually no bricking at the rim. Mint, mocha, black cherries and plums all make appearances on the nose of this full-bodied, velvety-textured beauty. I wouldn't age this much longer, as the finish is starting to show signs of stewed fruit and leather, but for drinking over the next few years, it should provide plenty of pleasure.

There are two cuvees of Cornas. The dense ruby/purple-tinged 2009 Cornas Lieu-Dit Patou displays notes of ripe figs, blackberries, earth, licorice and new saddle leather. This masculine-styled Cornas will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age, and should keep for 15+. If the turn around in quality of the Paul Jaboulet-Aine wines is the biggest good news story of qualitative improvement in the northern Rhone, what Michel Chapoutier has accomplished with Ferraton is a close second. This is definitely a name to be taken seriously, as Chapoutier has expanded the portfolio and continues to upgrade the quality across the board. Ferraton’s 2009s and 2010s are the finest wines made to date. There appears to be three levels of quality now being produced, beginning with the generic bottlings, to the single vineyard (or lieu-dit) offerings, followed by the top of the line, more expensive, limited production efforts called selections parcellaires.Importer: A French Paradox, Peoria, IL; tel. (309) 682-8994