2018 Franck Balthazar Cornas Cuvée Casimir
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Tasting notes
Dark ruby. Spice-accented aromas of black raspberry, cherry and smoky minerals, along with emerging floral and cracked pepper nuances. Appealingly sweet and fleshy on the palate, offering juicy, spice-inflected black and blue fruit flavors that deepen through the back half. Finishes smooth and spicy, with a solid mineral thrust, well-judged tannins and resonating blue fruit character.
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Average Score
The Wine Advocate
Josh Raynolds
More reviews and scores
Opaque ruby. Intense aromas of cassis, black raspberry, olive and star anise are complemented by a smoky mineral topnote and a touch of smoky bacon. Chewy and subtly sweet, offering lively dark berry preserve, floral pastille and licorice flavors and a spicy jolt of black pepper. Finishes very long and spicy, with fine-grained tannins and a building cherry note.
Just like the 2017 version, the 2018 Cornas Cuvée Casimir Balthazar is a blend of Les Mazards and La Légre fruit. It's riper and richer, full-bodied and almost lush on the palate, then firm and chewy on the finish, where mixed berries and salted licorice notes mingle with hints of crushed stone.
Smoke-accented dark berries, cherry and candied flowers and spicecake on the energetic nose. Juicy and seamless in texture, offering fresh blackberry, bitter cherry and boysenberry flavors that are underscored by a zesty mineral quality. Delivers a solid punch but this comes off as distinctly lively in character. Fine-grained tannins build slowly on a very long, floral-tinged finish that leaves a salty olive flourish behind.