2017 Thierry Allemand Chaillot Cornas 750 ml

Starting with a few plots and a dream, Thierry Allemand has become a benchmark producer in Cornas. In the 1980s, Thierry quit school and acquired some land in the small Cornas region. He learned as he went, aiming to craft wines of distinction and eventually settling into a laissez faire style of winemaking. With help from mentors in the region, he learned the secrets of terraced farming, pruning, and noninterventionist winemaking. Over the next few decades the student has become a master, crafting wines of power, elegance, and nuance from the stony Cornas hills. 

The 2017 Chaillot is no exception. The wine is elegant and perfumed while lively on the palate. Black pepper and florals explode from the glass and create a throughline to the long finish.