Last year, I underestimated Chapoutier’s 2000 Cornas. Out of bottle, it has lost a lot of its rusticity, revealing a dark ruby/plum color along with notes of ripe figs, black currants, and scorched earth. Spicy, medium-bodied, and elegant by the standards of this appellation, it should drink well between now and 2010. These uncompromising offerings from a young genius are not meant for consumers who want something to drink immediately. They are the essence of bio-dynamically farmed vineyard sites cropped incredibly low, given extended fermentations with indigenous yeasts, and rarely touched until they go into the bottle unfined and unfiltered. In most vintages, the wines are not even racked off their lees, which only adds to their natural style. These are truly remarkable wines, but for most readers, patience is the operative rule as they generally need a good 8-10 years to strut their stuff.Once moribund, over the last 12 years, this firm has become one of the reference points for nearly all the Rhone Valley appellations since the brash yet immensely talented Michel Chapoutier took over in the late eighties. The single vineyard offerings are as good as Rhone Valley wines can be. Moreover, Chapoutier continues to upgrade the quality of those wines offered in more significant quantities than the 500 or so cases each of the single vineyard offerings.Importer: Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900

Very herbal and almost green at first, with aromatics of tobacco, bell pepper and green bean. Is it fully ripe? Maybe not 100%, but it isn’t like some underripe, unfriendly wines that offer nothing. This one has a good mouthfeel and balance. Too bad it isn’t a little more fruity. ——M.S.(9/1/2003)—— 85