Cornas "Casimir Balthazar" 2022 Franck Balthazar | Rhône

Franck Balthazar 's Cornas cuvée Casimir Balthazar is a tribute to his grandfather, who founded the wine estate in 1931. The vines are located on the highly prestigious Mazard terroir in the Cornas appellation. The soil is essentially granitic, and the vines are over 50 years old. The wine is winemaked in whole bunches and aged for 18 months in demi-muids. A great wine for laying down, Franck Balthazar recommends drinking it 10 years after bottling.

Philippe Mischler, sommelier at Mundovin : Cornas Casimir Balthazar is a true marvel of balance. It's a wine that needs time to blossom, as its tannic structure and body are really intense when young. The vines were planted by his grandfather around half a century ago and are now revealing the full potential of this terroir. A Cornas that's both classic in its aromatic expression and very natural thanks to the fact that little sulfur is added.

On the nose, the wine opens with notes of leather, a slightly sanguine side that fades after a little oxygenation. A wine of remarkable stability, gently evolving on notes of prune and cedar.

Intense, full-bodied on the palate, with a still-imposing tannic structure. A wine with enormous ageing potential which, in my opinion, will follow in the footsteps of the famous Auguste Clape wines in a few years' time. Not to be missed!