The 2005 Cornas Les Ruchets is a youthful, relatively unevolved Cornas that gives up lots of currants, figs, licorice and gamy meats in its medium-bodied, focused, classic style. Give bottles another 2-3 years of cellaring and enjoy over the following decade.

From a fabulous site in the Chaillot, the 2005 Cornas Les Ruchets smells of roasted herbs, beef blood, blackberries, licorice, currants, and wet rocks. It is full-bodied, tannic, and backward, but impressively pure, deep, and full. This globe-trotting northern Rhone oenologist owns an ever-expanding negociant business, but his finest wines remain his estate offerings from Cornas. He owns 19 acres, including some superb parcels in Chaillot and St.-Pierre. Most are relatively old vine sites. Colombo’s approach to winemaking is thoroughly modern, and he was the first in Cornas to utilize new oak casks. Additionally, he destems everything and aims for relatively high extraction with warm fermentation temperatures.Importer: Palm Bay Imports, Boca Raton, FL; tel. (561) 362-9642

Ripe, with a touch of flashy toast helping to frame the black currant, boysenberry and fig fruit, which is in turn pushed by cassis bush and olive notes. Really stretches out on the finish. Drink now through 2018. 900 cases made.??–JM??Region: France / Northern Rh?ne / Cornas Select to Add

Like many 2005s from the northern Rhone, Colombo's Les Ruchets needs time. The tannins dominate the mouth right now, but the black olive and peppered-meat nuances win out in the end, adding depth to tarry, leathery notes and plummy fruit. Try after 2015.——J.C.(4/1/2010)—— 91