Franck Balthazar, Cornas Cuvee Juliette, 2023 CS20230611 predictable

predictable

and the wine ages two years in used Slavonian botti before a further year in bottle

or as a replacement for vermouth in various cocktails

but about precision

8-hectare plot in Paliokalias — one of Naoussa's most prized sub-zones — read like the work of someone who has been here for generations

Franck Balthazar, Cornas Cuvee Juliette, 2023 CS20230611 predictableFranck Balthazar is a Cornas vigneron who works organically and bottles his Syrah with rare clarity and finesse. Cuvee Juliette is part of his small, terroir driven range, showing the perfumed, fine grained side of the appellation. The 2023 offers floral edged dark fruit, white pepper, and a smoky mineral lift, all wrapped in supple tannins. Lovely now with air, with the structure to develop nicely over the medium term.