I was also able to taste the 2018s from bottle. Starting with the 2018 Cornas Renaissance, it has plenty of meaty, gamey nuances as well as ample red and black fruits, full body, ripe, supple tannins, and classic Cornas ground pepper, violets, and spice. It has plenty of up-front charm and will keep for 15+ years.

I like the fresh herbal elements on the nose here, it lifts the aromatics. There's a liquorice and menthol edge to the blackcurrant fruit. Medium-bodied, quite fluid on the palate but has real intensity and bite. The tannins are ripe and round but assertive. Has a good sense of depth and resonance.Really delicious now, I would drink this straight away, but will no doubt age well. Drink now, or from 2026.

Deep, glistening violet color. Pungent, mineral-laced dark berry and cherry aromas are complemented by suggestions of licorice, smoked meat and exotic spices. Chewy and focused on the palate, offering juicy blackberry, bitter cherry, smoky bacon and violet pastille flavors that become sweeter with air. Smoothly melds richness and energy and finishes very long and smoky, with solid, spicy thrust and velvety, slow-building tannins. 100% whole clusters.

The 2018 Cornas Renaissance shows less of the vintage's sunbaked character than you might expect, boasting floral notes and fresh red plum fruit. It's medium to full-bodied, silky in feel and even a touch crisp on the long finish. It should be reasonably long lived, drinking well through at least 2035.