Jean-René Germanier – Champmarais – Cornalin 2010 – Valais

Medium towards deep colour intensity, it has a little bit of evolution on the rim but still a very dense core. Pure nose with a fairly high intensity, dark berry fruit, cassis. There’s a hint of smoke there. Clove, pepper, cinnamon, but a very discreet spiciness. No noticeable oak. Dense core of fruit, with a rather rounded texture now. We do get a good lift on the palate, thanks to those finely grained tannins. Medium high acidity, this still feels like a quite ripe year; so we have ripe fruit, but still with a good dose of freshness there, and I think the oak has been sucked up by this rather opulent fruit now. Very nice example, with spicy dark fruit, layered, with a long and very persistent finish. Perfect drinkability right now, I really like this power, even though it has softened a little bit. I’m sure this is a wine that would continue to age gracefully for another 10 years, and develop even more complexity and nuance.

Tasted by the Best Sommelier of the World, Andreas Larsson.