Domaine Courbis - Cornas La Sabarotte 2016

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The top Cornas here is the 2016 Cornas la Sabarotte. It’s aging in 80% new oak until being bottled in June 2018. Yes, it’s an unabashedly modern style, full-bodied, creamy in texture and offering pristine purple raspberry fruit, but man is this good. It will be hard to keep from drinking this in its first 5-10 years. - Joe Czerwinski

Domaine Courbis Description

The origins of the Courbis family estate date back to the 16th century. More recently, the brothers Dominique and Laurent Courbis have succeeded their father, Maurice, who was the mayor of Chateaubourg, their hometown.

All the grapes are harvested by hand and yields are kept to an average of 30 hl/ha. The fruit is 100% destemmed and the maceration period for the Syrahs lasts between two and three weeks. The wines mature in oak casks which are new or up to three years old. The red wines are fined with egg whites but not filtered and are bottled between two and three years of the harvest.

The wines of the Courbis estate are some of the most compelling examples of St. Joseph and Cornas being made today. The Courbis brothers have combined their long family experience with a modern style and this has earned them international recognition. Robert Parker sums it up in his book on Rhone wines: “Courbis is a name to watch in the Northern Rhone.” Courbis wines regularly receive rave reviews in Wine Spectator, International Wine Cellar, The Wine Advocate and Revue du Vin de France.

Jeb Dunnuck: 94 Points

Lastly, the 2016 Cornas La Sabarotte is more plump, rounded, and sexy, with thrilling amounts of plum and black fruits, barbecue smoke, licorice, and spiced meat aromas and flavors. With moderate acidity, a massive, sexy texture, sweet tannins, and a great finish, it’s unquestionably one of the most flamboyant, sexy wines in the vintage. Drink it any time over the coming decade.

Vinous: 94 Points

Bright purple. Highly perfumed black and blue fruit liqueur aromas, along with hints of exotic spices, potpourri, olive and smoky minerals. Densely packed cassis, blueberry, spicecake and violet pastille flavors show outstanding clarity and deepen steadily as the wine stretches out. Finishes long and smoky, with powerful violet and mineral qualities and mounting tannins. - Josh Raynolds