Cornas Lieu-Dit Les Côtes (Les Vires)

A complex, profound wine with a nose of jammy dark fruits, tapenade and roasted coffee beans. Attractive, elegant length, with ripe tannins and a long, powerful finish. High-density planting (8,000-10,000 vines per hectare). No insecticides or pesticides, few treatments (depending on weather), small amount of organic-only fertiliser, with respect of soil and vine balance. Vigour and yield control, leaf-thinning and green harvesting to promote grape maturation. The grapes are hand-picked; and then sorted, crushed and partially destemmed in the cellar. Fermented in open, temperature-controlled vats for about 3 weeks, with regular cap-punching and pumping-over. Malolactic-fermented in barriques with native yeasts. The wine is matured for 18 months in barrique barrels. ABV 13%