8/1/25 - 

We discovered recently that there were several cases available in New York of three flagship Cornas bottlings from Franck Balthazar, all from the sleeper-hit 2021 vintage (see the comment below from Thierry Allemand). We tasted the Cornas 'Casimir' two weeks ago to get a sense for how the wines might all be tasting, and we can report that this was as pure, delicate and "old-school" as Northern Rhone Syrah can be - truly ideal in my opinion, for drinking soon or for aging, with integrated and elegant (albeit still relatively young) tannins, faint blueberry and earth notes, and perfect acidity (not to mention moderate alcohol levels). After tasting, we promptly reserved as many bottles as we could of Balthazar's Chaillot, Casimir, and the rare Cornas Sans Soufre Ajouté. 
 
The wine industry - and the hospitality industry as a whole - has been hit with very hard challenges since a 10% tariff in April, and now we're stuck with a 15% tariff (with hopefully fruitful talks concerning an exemption for wine and spirits). The prices on today's wines are pre-tariff, but these are also the last stock from Balthazar's previous importer, as Franck changed representation in New York recently. We highly recommend grabbing bottles now as prices will never again be this low.
 
For example, at our low markup (to at least stay close to gray-market prices) the 2021 Casimir is $74 a bottle and the 2022 at the same markup will be $110 retail in New York. The Chaillot Sans Souffre for $86 will be $145 for the 2022 vintage, and the prices will not go down with '23. Hopefully they won't go up! 

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Franck Balthazar is one of a small group of producers in Cornas practicing organic farming, whole-cluster fermentations and aging in used barrels, incuding growers such as Thierry Allemand and Domaine Lionnet along with Jean and Pierre Gonon, six or seven miles to the north in Saint-Joseph. Says drinkrhone.com "An STGT domaine (soil to glass transfer!). The wines express their place faithfully with tender winemaking in support.  This is a classic example of Cornas that carries clear fruit and early tannins requiring 3-4 years to settle." 
 
We appreciate that Franck vinifies and bottles with minimal or zero use of sulfur, giving the wines outstanding purity and aromatic complexity. These are superb Northern Rhone Syrahs, traditionally made, without over-extraction or new oak - they are delicious young but will cellar beautifully as well - ten plus years for the "Sans Soufre," fifteen+ years for "Casimir," twenty-plus years for Chaillot.
 
On the 2021 vintage, from our friends at drinkrhone.com: "The adjective “complicated” applied to CORNAS in 2021, but the end result has been good, even very good, with a collection of wines that will interest and reward drinkers over the next couple of decades at least. Thierry Allemand is never a fan of the large scale, solar vintages, so gave this enthusiastic comment: '2021 we adore... like in the old days.' 2021 ranks a good vintage to buy Cornas in my view. The wines are fluid more than thickset, and will show well earlier than in mighty years such as 2019. There are occasional issues of looseness and volatile acidity, so it’s not picture perfect, but selecting a wine from a noble site above and near the village – Chaillot springs to mind – will be rewarding." 

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On offer today are the three flagship Cornas bottlings from Balthazar:
 
The beautiful 2021 "Cuvee Casimir Balthazar" is 75% young Syrah vines from La Lègre (firm granite), 25% Syrah from Les Mazards (1961, clay, decomposed granite), both sites more the southern sector,100% whole bunch, 2 week vinification, wild yeasts, pumping over then manual cap punching, aged in 5-year plus 600-litre casks for 14-18 months. "Dark red; the nose has a soft air led by crushed blackberries, licorice, and floral touches. The palate is cosy, en rondeur, its fruit very approachable, mixed berries, supple, sandy tannins, is juicy and all well connected between nose and palate, a spherical wine with a neat, accurate finish. From mid-2024. Drink until 2040-42" - Drink Rhone.com
 
The 2021 Balthazar Cornas "Sans Soufre Ajouté" is from young vines in the vineyards of "La Legre" and "Les Cotes," whole-cluster fermentation, aged in old 600 liter casks, bottled un-fined, unfiltered and with zero added SO2. Recent vintages of the sans soufre have been brilliant, with very floral, expressive cool fruit. From our friends at drinkrhone.com on the 2021: "Dark red; blackberry, black cherry with a light herbal presence on a close-knit nose that carries potential. There is a good centre to this, a stylish Cornas that holds well, comes with good fruit and discreet gras, substance. There is sweetish blueberry fruit on the palate, lovely juice, right on the money length here. 'It has structure, good minerality,' says Franck Balthazar. This is very good, a front runner in 2021."
 
The "Chaillot" cuvée is from vines planted in 1914, with a percentage from "Mazards" planted in 1960. There is an approximately 18 month elevage and the wine is bottle unfined and unfiltered with a very small dosage of SO2. From Josh Raynolds' Vinous review: "Opaque magenta. Intensely perfumed, mineral-tinged aromas of fresh black and blue fruits, licorice, bacon fat and olive paste, along with a suave floral overtone that builds as the wine opens up. Stains the palate with deeply concentrated but vibrant blackberry, boysenberry, violet pastille and exotic spice flavors, plus a smoky mineral flourish that gains strength through the back half. Chewy tannins shape an extremely long, mineral- and floral-driven finish that shows superb clarity and spicy drive." - Josh Raynolds in Vinous

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