Balthazar, Franck 2021 Cornas "Chaillot"

Franck Balthazar is one of the few truly organic and natural producers in the northern Rhone and, like the Gonons, he practices whole-cluster fermentations with wild yeasts and ages in old (5 years and older) large barrels. 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. "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