Franck Balthazar ‘Chaillot,’ Cornas, France 2020

Frank Balthazar took over his family estate in 2002, inheriting a few plots of century-old vines in prime Rhône Valley territory. In the vineyards and the cellar, he is a one-man show, a purist and a traditionalist who has perfected his methods of cultivation and vinification. You might be familiar with Chaillot from the famous Noël Verset. This granite-rich parcel of 97-year-old vines was purchased from Noël just a few years ago. In the cellar, the grapes are fermented whole bunch with stems, with manual punch downs. From here, the wine is moved to 600-liter demi-muids, where they are aged for about 18 months before bottling.  Pairing: Grilled meats, rich duck prep  Grapes: Syrah  Soil: Granite Viticulture: Organic  Notes on the wine from John Livingstone of Drink Rhône: ***** dark red. The nose is gentle, in formation, has an air of blackberry, herbs, spice and white pepper. The palate links well, is juicy and forward, has flexible tannins, pretty length, is floral towards the finis