1998 Jean-Luc Colombo Cornas Les Ruchets

Jean-Luc Colombo was a pharmacist until 1987, when he purchased 20 acres in Cornas, in the Northern Rhone Valley. He worked for a while as a wine consultant before producing wine under his own label starting in 1994. As an outspoken advocate of improving the wines of the Cornas appellation by using modern winemaking techniques and organic farming, Colombo has sometimes been a a controversial figure in the region. However his own wines have won acclaim. Known for his Cornas wines, he also makes Hermitage, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph and other wines. He also owns the Provence label Cote Bleue. Robert M. Parker Jr. has called Colombo “one of the stars of the Cornas…He is producing some of the finest Cornas produced.”

The Northern Rhône Valley wine region hugs the Rhône River from Vienne in the north to Valence at its southern tip. The French call the region Côtes du Rhône Septentrionales, and it is divided into eight appellations. Along with its neighbor to the south, the Southern Rhone Valley, it is famous for its big, tannic, intensely concentrated wines. Syrah is the only red grape permitted in AOC wines from this sub-region, though the Syrah can be blended with the white wine grapes Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne, depending on the regulations for each AOC. White wines are made from Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. Of the eight appellations in the north, the most admired wines tend to come from Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu and Hermitage, though there are certainly exceptional wines to be found in St. Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, St.-Peray, Crozes-Hermitage and Cornas. Along with Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne, Rhône wines are among France’s best known and most collected wines. Red wines from these appellations are notable for their signature aromas of bacon and green olives, and for their depth. Robert M. Parker, a great champion of Rhone wines, has written that “the northern Rhône produces three of the greatest wines in the world – the white wines of Condrieu and the red wines of Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage.”

This grape is grown in milder climates and produces a medium-to full-bodied wine. It is also known as Shiraz, but should not be confused with Petit Sirah, which was developed by crossing Syrah with Peloursin.