Domaine Philippe & Vincent Jaboulet Cornas 2012

Deep, blackish red with a startlingly opulent nose suggestive of dark fruits, violets, anise, wood, vanilla, and dark chocolate, but with a powerful overlay of honey. The sort of wine you can happily linger over before the first sip. The attack is surprisingly soft, but that’s followed by a rush of grippy tannins masking rich, dark fruit, and then a protracted finish that leaves more delicate tannins dancing on the tongue. An extraordinary juxtaposition of power and delicacy. Simply beautiful wine. Hard to resist now, but likely to handsomely repay cellaring.

Food pairing: Steak with black pepper, olives, or shiitake or porcini mushrooms; venison; duck; rabbit or other game or fowl; terrine; grilled eggplant; lamb; veal chops with morels