2015 Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillots, Rhone, France

Thierry Allemand is one of the defining growers of modern Cornas, and the 2015 Chaillot captures the rare combination of concentration, purity, and finesse that has made his wines cult collectibles. Drawn from the domaine’s younger Syrah vines on the steep limestone-and-granite slopes of Cornas, the wine was fermented with whole clusters and raised without new oak. A decade of bottle age has begun to knit together boysenberry, black raspberry, cherry liqueur, violet, black olive, incense, cracked pepper, and smoky stone. Broad and deeply concentrated yet remarkably energetic, it carries silky tannins, vivid mineral lift, and an exceptionally long, floral, savory finish—a powerful but beautifully controlled expression of a landmark Northern Rhône vintage.

96 points — Vinous