Domaine Courbis - Cornas 'La Sabarotte' Red 2020

Wine Region: Rhone Valley - France

Grape: 100% Syrah.

Tasting notes: This is the most intense and floral wine in the Courbis cellar. It has a wonderful nose brimming with peonies and dried rosemary. The tannins are textured and abundant, finely interlaced with the dark, minty fruit.

"Bottled in June 2021, the 2019 Cornas la Sabarotte delivers huge doses of pristine blueberry and cherry fruit despite being aged in a combination of new and one-year-old barrels. It's full-bodied, rich and tannic but supple, with a long, lively finish. Stylistically, it nicely epitomizes what consumers have come to expect from the Courbis family."Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate 

Expert rating: 

96-98 points Jeb Dunnuck

'Lastly, the 2020 Cornas La Sabarotte doesn't give an inch with regard to color and offers a purple, almost blue hue to go with fabulous black raspberry and blackberry fruits, notes of scorched earth, burning embers, spice, and incense, full-bodied richness, and an expansive, seamless, gorgeously balanced profile on the palate.'

96-98 points Vinous

'Glass-staining ruby color. Vibrant, mineral-accented black and blue fruits, olive, exotic spices and a potent violet note on the intensely perfumed nose. Palate-staining blackberry, bitter cherry, licorice and vanilla flavors display sharp detail and become sweeter as the wine opens up. A spicy, extremely long and chewy finish features quickly building tannins that play surprisingly well with the wine's sappy, clinging dark fruit character. (JR)'

91-94 points Wine Advocate

'From a 1.5-hectare parcel of vines planted in 1945 (by Verset), the 2020 Cornas la Sabarotte matures in 50% new oak and 50% second use barrels. Notes of violets and purple raspberries appear on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is concentrated, rich and velvety, leading into a long, tannic finish. It will need a bit of time in the cellar but should be an outstanding drink around 2030. It was great to be back at the Courbis's hillside tasting room in the tiny commune of Châteaubourg, hosted by the always genial Laurent Courbis. We started with prepared barrel samples of the 2020s, a vintage which he said, "[is] ripe but fresh, aromatic, with great balance, similar to 2017." We then moved into the bottled 2019s, which are another solid vintage for the Courbis family, although maybe lacking some of the spark of 2020. These are modern, ripe, sometimes oaky wines that I'm sure make some purists wince but which provide immense pleasure and have yet to see prices soar out of reach. (WA)'

About the winery: Domaine Courbis is the property of two brothers: Laurent and Dominique Courbis. The estate stretches over the Cornas and Saint-Joseph appellations, in the Rhone Valley. Domaine Courbis lies on clay, limestone, and granite-rich soils, on the southernmost area of Saint-Joseph AOC. Red wines are 100% Syrah, while whites are a blend of Marsanne (higher proportion) and Roussanne. Through their common beliefs, their project, their love for making wine, their high regard for reasoned viticulture, and their ability to complement each other, the bothers were able to ensure the durability of the 16th century estate.

More about Domaine Courbis here...