2015 Jean-Luc Colombo Cornas Les Ruchets 750 ml

“Opulent Cornas”

Jean-Luc Colombo is nicknamed the King of Cornas, an impressive moniker considering that Cornas is the third scion in the holy trinity of northern Rhône appellations with Cote Rotie and Hermitage. His legendary contributions to the wine world need no introduction, he has been the in-demand consultant for dozens of Rhône Valley estates for decades now. Colombo's career has provided us an understanding of Syrah's greatest expression from the land of its birth. The vines of the single Les Ruchets vineyard deliver classic northern Rhône character — fully on display in this 2015 Cornas, which Wine Spectator rated 95 points. Going a touch further was forer Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate Rhône authority Jeb Dunnuck at 95+ points, a key part of a 2015 lineup that shine as “unquestionably the finest wines made at this estate to date.” 

This 2015 Jean-Luc Colombo Cornas “Les Ruchets” is the handiwork of one of France’s most renowned winemakers — one who has become an iconic figure in the northern Rhône, a consultant whose long line of clients rivals that of Michel Rolland.

Just over 30 years ago, Jean-Luc Colombo made his first vintage of Cornas Les Ruchets. It would be impossible to overestimate the influence he has had on Cornas and the Northern Rhône since then. Starting as a winemaker with a few rows of vines and even fewer qualms about bucking tradition, Colombo raised local hackles with his modern and controversial winemaking techniques: He destemmed the fruit and aged his wines in new oak barriques, pioneering a new style of Northern Rhône Syrah that stood in stark contrast to the traditional, age-demanding wines of appellation standard-bearer Auguste Clape. Colombo's irreverence helped raise the profile of Cornas even as he won his share of detractors, but the young winemaker eventually earned wide respect for the acclaim he brought to the previously overlooked appellation.

Colombo is now beginning to pass the torch to his daughter Laure, and together they are producing finer wines than ever before, according to peerless Rhône critic Jeb Dunnuck. By the numbers, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate tells the same story: Of the 56 90-plus point scores that the magazine has given to Colombo wines in the past three decades, two of the top three are from 2015 — and one is for Colombo’s Les Ruchets.