Franck Balthazar Chaillot Cornas Syrah 2016

Franck Balthazar is the latest in line atandnbsp; his family domaine that was started by his grandfather, Casmir, in the 1930and#39;s. You may have heard of his uncle, Noandeuml;landnbsp;Verset, from whom he purchased a large part of his holdings, aandnbsp; 97-year-old parcel in Chaillot. Along with Reynard, this is regarded as the finest vineyard in Cornas.andnbsp; Franck is an unassuming and modest character, and works his tiny property foremost in the tradition of the great vignerons who preceeded him. In terms of production, he checks all of the right boxes. In the vineyard, he plows with a horse, picks by hand and is in the process of being certified organic. In the cellar, he uses a 60 year old press, native yeasts and large demi-muids for fermentation and does not fine or filter. His wines are everything that we look for in a great bottle: pure and balanced with an undeniable sense of place and an elegance that is almost at odds with their quiet power. They are more than capable of developing and blossoming in the cellar for at least 20 years, but if you do choose to open these wines today they will show beautifully with a few hours in the decanter.andnbsp;

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