GAILLARD CORNAS ET AL

If there was a Guild of Master Northern Rhône Wine Craftsmen, Pierre Gaillard would probably be the President. Be it a Saint Joseph, a Côte-Rôtie or a Condrieu, every time you open a bottle with his name on it you know you are going to get a thrilling and bristling expression of the site from where it came. That’s his thing. There is no dead weight in the Gaillard cellar and each wine offers precision and purity of fruit. This is not to suggest Gaillard is a technocrat. Far from it. He has great vineyards, infectious passion, makes good decisions and possesses a dirt-under-the-fingernails grit which means that most of the hard work has been done before the fruit arrives in the cellar. The quality of fruit he harvests, allied to his fine touch in the cellar, results in some of the most evocative, flavoursome and stylish northern Rhône wines going around.

2020 Pierre Gaillard Cornas – Late March arrival. $89.95 Estimated

93 Points – Jeb Dunnuck

“Flowery incense, sandalwood, violets, and peppery notes all emerge from the 2020 Cornas, which is medium to full-bodied and has a beautiful core of red and blue fruits, good overall balance, and a great finish. It has notable structure and tannic grip, yet the balance is spot on. This is impressive.”

2020 Pierre Gaillard Cote Rotie – Late March arrival. $89.95 Estimated

91 Points – Jeb Dunnuck

“Lots of cedary spice, exotic flowers, and savory red and black fruits emerge from the 2020 Côte Rôtie, a medium-bodied, nicely textured, savory Côte Rôtie that’s going to benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age to let the tannins chill out. It’s already complex, though, and I suspect will evolve for 15+ years or more.”