As always, the top cuvee is the Cornas La Louvee. The 2001 boasts the most saturated purple color in addition to a flamboyant nose of black fruits mixed with toasty new oak. This progressively-styled Cornas borders on being international, but there is plenty of the meaty/ bloody/grilled steak taste that comes from Cornas’ sun-scorched terroir. Deep, full, and masculine, with well-integrated tannin as well as a “reasonably elegant” personality, this classic 2001 should be at its finest between 2006-2015. The irrefutable modernist of the Rhone Valley, the well-known oenologist Jean-Luc Colombo continues to fine tune his winemaking. His barrel-aged Cornas cuvees are among the most progressively made offerings of the appellation, revealing no rusticity and supple tannin. Colombo practices cold soaks as well as other cutting edge techniques (i.e., micro-oxygenation) in order to subdue the substantial tannins of Cornas. Importer: Palm Bay International, Port Washington, NY; tel. (516) 802-4700.