Coming from the younger vines of the estate, Allemand's 2012 Cornas les Chaillots is slightly fresher and more lean than the bigger, more concentrated Reynard, yet is still an incredible Cornas that checks in near the top of the hierarchy. Possessing an almost Clape-like iron, beef blood, tapenade and ground pepper laced bouquet, as well as a core of sweet cassis and black raspberry fruit, this rocking effort has full-bodied richness, solid mid-palate concentration and perfectly integrated acidity. It opens up beautifully with air, and while it shows the more approachable style of the vintage, it won't start to hit maturity until around age ten; it will have 20 years or more of ultimate longevity.

Inky purple. Sexy, mineral-laced black and blue fruit aromas are complemented by notes of licorice, violet and black tea. Juicy and precise, offering intense boysenberry and bitter cherry flavors and a touch of spicecake that gains strength with aeration. The floral note comes back strong on the strikingly persistent finish, which is firmed by dusty, fine-grained tannins. Plenty deep and intense but comes off as a bit more lithe than the even deeper and sappier Reynard.