By Jean-Luc Colombo
Cornas 'La Louvee' 2012

Background
Innovation, passion, and dedication drive Jean-Luc and Anne Colombo, whose contribution to Rhone Valley winemaking is unparalleled. A devotee of the Syrah grape and armed with a pharmacy degree, Jean-Luc and his wife, Anne, opened their wine laboratory in 1984, "Centre Oenologique des Cotes du Rhone," and quickly developed a thriving reputation as a wine consultant throughout France. Both Jean-Luc and Anne have been awarded the French Legion of Honor, France's highest civilian award, for their significant life-long contributions to their country. Today, Jean-Luc Colombo's wines express the typicity of their terroir with elegance and character, from the Cote Rotie in the northern Rhone to his Provencal roses.

Wine Details
Appellation: Rhone Valley (AOC Cornas), France
Varietal Composition: 100% Syrah
Alcohol: 13.50%
Winemaker: Jean-Luc Colombo

Terroir and Vintage Notes
The heart of the Colombo winery is based in Cornas, the smallest appellation in the Rhone Valley. Covering only 325 acres, it is nonetheless highly delineated with incredibly diverse microclimates that make an extraordinary impact on the profile of the wines. With a strong Mediterranean influence, summers here are warm. Ancient vineyards are found mostly on steep, south-facing terraced slopes. Decomposed granite soils and stressed growing conditions greatly contribute to the quintessential quality and character of Cornas wines. Cornas AOC has strict laws. Irrigation is not permitted and maximum yields are 34 hl/ha. It is one of the few appellations in the world dedicated to Syrah.

Winemaking and Aging
Grapes are hand-harvested and de-stemmed. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks. The wine is aged in oak barrels (15% in new oak, 85% in one- to three-year-old barrels).

Tasting Notes
Ripe plum, cassis, and cherry notes. Full-bodied wine with accents of bay leaf and lavender that lead to a palate with soft tannins. Excellent with beef, wild duck, game, lamb, truffle dishes, stews, and hard cheeses.
[Information provided by Taub Family Selections]

Wine: Jean-Luc Colombo Cornas La Louvee 2012
Score/Rating: 95
Review Date: 02/28/2015
Reviewed By: James Molesworth
Tasting Notes: This delivers a beautiful beam of ripe, pure plum, cassis and bitter cherry fruit notes, underscored by chalk, bay leaf, lavender and iron accents. The long, tightly focused finish shows serious grip for the vintage. [...] 

Wine: 2012 Cornas La Louvee
Score/Rating: 91
Suggested Drinking Window: 2017 - 2028
Review Date: 12/2014
Reviewed By: Josh Raynolds
Tasting Notes: Inky purple. Pungent cherry pit, blackberry and violet aromas are complemented by hints of peppery spices, woodsmoke and minerals. Succulent and expansive on the palate, offering gently sweet dark berry flavors and a subtle licorice pastille quality. Concentrated yet lively and precise, finishing with excellent clarity, slow-building tannins and very good smoky persistence, strawberries, almond and espresso.

Wine: 2012 Jean-Luc Colombo Cornas la Louvee
Score/Rating: 90+
Suggested Drinking Window: 2015 - 2027
Review Date: 12/29/2014
Reviewed By: Jeb Dunnuck
Tasting Notes: A step up over the Terres Brulees, the 2012 Cornas La Louvee has a savory, complex, medium-bodied style to go with notes of blackberry and raspberry fruit, toasted spice and cured meats. Drinking nicely today, it has enough tannin to evolve nicely through 2027.

Wine: Jean-Luc Colombo, La Louvee 2012 Cornas
Score/Rating: 16.5/20
Review Date: 03/26/2014
Reviewed By: Julia Harding MW
Tasting Notes: Deep, dark cherry red. Complex aroma currently dominated by sweet oak spice but there's also a lovely spicy black-cherry savoury character to undermine the oak sweetness and a note of tar. Also something exotic, like incense, and then a savoury mushroom character. I almost forgot to mention the fine ripe dark fruit. Makes you want to linger over the aroma. Deliciously fresh and rounded, even if a little chewy. Seems almost approachable now except you know it will get more interesting with time in the bottle. Ripe and sophisticated at the same time. Attractively tarry note on the palate as it opens up. (JH)