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B-21 Top Recommendation
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From a domaine with a devoted following among Northern Rhône fans yet seldom seen in the American market, this 2022 Cornas trio from Franck Balthazar offers a rare collectible opportunity.
"Balthazar's wines are raw, expressive, fleshy and complex..." - Nicolas Greinacher, Vinous
Known for their supremely old-school style, Balthazar's wines are in high demand and short supply among the most clued in Northern Rhône collectors. His meticulous yet minimalist techniques start in the vineyard, "one of the best managed in the appellation," according to Wine Advocate's Yohan Castaing, and continue in the cellar, resulting in some of the most authentic and true-to-place Cornas expressions you'll find. The 2022 Cornas Casimir, sourced from old vines in Les Mezards and early-2000s vines in Legre, is the flagship of Balthazar's domaine and the hallmark introduction to his style – "Medium to full-bodied, layered and textured, it's elegantly juicy with good depth at the core, structured, youthful tannins and a long, spicy finish ... an impressive effort," according to Castaing.
The 97-point 2022 Cornas Chaillot "is a brilliant showcase of Franck Balthazar's capabilities," as he makes the very best of this 100-year-old plot of vines that used to belong to the legendary Noël Verset. The "king of the cellar" as Castaing puts it, the Chaillot is a talilor-made thoroughbred that is purposely built for the long-haul. Finally, while you wait for the Chaillot to come around, don't miss the highly limited yet readily accessible, 96-point 2022 Cornas Sans Soufre. "Silky, light in body, so incredibly fresh ... and so bright," according to Decanter, its purity is its calling card, demonstrating Balthazar's commitment and skill with minimalist techniques.
Whether or not you're familiar with Balthazar, if you're a serious fan of ultra-classic Northern Rhône and Cornas in particular, these wines should be at the top of your list. |
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Aromatically quite reductive when tasted, but on the palate this is very promising, with surprisingly rounded and succulent tannins for a 2022. Long, direct, fresh and focused, this is the most powerful of Franck Balthazar's Cornas this year. From a parcel of vines over 100 years old in lieu-dit Chaillots that previously belonged to Noël Verset.
97 points, Matt Walls, Decanter (Sep 2023)
The 2022 Cornas Chaillot is a brilliant showcase of Franck Balthazar’s capabilities. Revealing a dense, complex bouquet of dark wild berries, mulberries, blueberries, spices and flowers, it's full-bodied, dense and ample, seamless and layered with a racy character, capturing the energetic qualities of this prime hillside terroir to perfection and concluding with a long, saline finish. It's the king of the cellar that will improve with time in the cellar.
95 points, Yohan Castaing, Wine Advocate (Mar 2025)
The dark, meaty and spicy nose pulls you into this powerful and deeply structured Cornas. The more air it gets, the more the wild herb character emerges, Serious concentration and a beautifully crafted tannin structure on the medium- to full-bodied palate. 100% whole-cluster fermented and matured in demi muid oak casks. Best from 2027.
95 points, Stuart Pigott, James Suckling (Apr 2024)
Franck Balthazar has some extremely old vines in his two parcels in the fine vineyard of Chaillot, as the oldest were planted by his grandfather all the way back during World War I. And his parcel with the “younger vines” are now seventy-five years of age! He acquired these vines from his uncle, Noël Verset, when he retired. I had not tasted this bottling on release since the 2011 vintage and was very happy to see Monsieur Balthazar had switched importers and samples were once again available to me! The 2022 Chaillot tips the scales at a svelte thirteen percent octane in this vintage and delivers a deep, young and black fruity bouquet of cassis, dark berries, pepper, roasted venison, stony soil tones, black olive, whole clusters and just a touch of cedar from the old demi-muids used for the élevage of the wine. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, complex and very elegant in profile for young Cornas, with a rock solid core of fruit, superb granitic undertow, ripe, buried tannins and great focus and grip on the long, impeccably balanced finish. This is a great bottle of young Cornas, but it will take its sweet time softening up its undercarriage of tannin and starting to drink with generosity.
95 points, John Gilman, View From The Cellar (Oct 2025)
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