The 1983 was remarkably impressive from the cask, so much so that I ordered a case of it for my cellar. After eight bottles, I have found the wine stubbornly backward, astringent, and sturdy, and have begun to lose confidence in it. Still terribly closed, very tannic and hard, this is a large-scaled, brawny wine that remains impossibly unfriendly. Will the fruit hold? I doubt it. Anticipated maturity: now-2005? Last tasted 11/96.
This famous firm significantly increased its purchases of wine from Cornas in the eighties. For example, 75% of the appellation's production in the bountiful year of 1985 was reportedly bought by Jaboulet. In 1993, Jaboulet's interest in Cornas was further evidenced by the purchase of the Domaine de St.-Pierre, a 9.1-acre estate of relatively young vines (7-15 years), located behind the two renowned vineyards of Reynard and Les Chaillots, directly behind the village. As the tasting notes indicate, this is an impressive wine. Jaboulet also produces a regular cuvee of Cornas (from purchased juice) that is made in a muscular, full-bodied, old style with plenty of structure and hard tannin. Despite the lightening of some of Jaboulet's other Rhone wines, especially their Chateauneuf du Pape Les Cedres and their Gigondas, this firm seems content to produce two cuvees of big, brawny, beefy Cornas.