Cornas 2018 in bottle: full overview plus top-scoring wines

Blueberry and liquorice on the nose at this stage, there's a little touch of acetone that is typical of Clape, along with some thyme and rosemary. Full-bodied, but not massive, this has plenty of immediate impact and drive, it really packs a punch on the finish. Powerful ingrained acidity drives the wine forward, as does an inner salinity and ripe but sharply pointed tannins. Ripe and approachable for Clape but still very Cornas, this is delicious now, but will reward cellaring too. Harvest started on the 12th of September. No destemming as usual, fermented in concrete, aged in large old oak barrels.

Wildly expressive nose, it has the blackberry and wild herbs you'd expect, but also blackcurrant and a touch of tomato stalk. Medium-bodied, this has plenty of dense, concentrated fruit and extraordinary vibrancy. Extremely long, peppery finish. The tannins are ripe and massy, a touch chalky. A highly fluent wine, one that expresses its terroir with almost supernatural clarity. Organic viticulture, whole bunch, fermented in concrete, aged on old demi-muids, no fining or filtration and no sulphite additions.

Eminently classic style of Cornas, with hot sand, pine needles and wild herbs. Full-bodied, very fresh, intense and focussed. The acidity is particularly marked here, and adds to the searing effect on the palate, it has a great physical impact and serious length. Freshness and intensity, this is a great vintage for Guillaume Gilles. He's captured the tempestuous wildness of the terroir without any overripeness or excess sun, just excellent definition and freshness. His best vintage yet? Drinkable now, but wait until 2028 if you can. 40-year-old vines in lieu-dit Chaillot, whole-bunch fermented, no fining or filtration.

There's an initial touch of reduction on the nose, underneath there's fresh blood, pink peppercorns and pine resin. Medium-bodied – and only just – this is very fluid on the palate but has plenty of impact and intensity. Great rising freshness, searing acidity and great tension. Long finish. Incredible vibrancy. Not the deepest perhaps, but this has all the untamed wild force of Cornas. Gently furry tannins, like stroking a dog. Centenarian vines from lieu-dit Chaillots, a parcel bought from Noël Verset. Organic viticulture, whole bunch, fermented in concrete, aged on old demi-muids, no fining or filtration.

I love the way Matthieu Barret plays with reduction in the wines. This has a lifted rose aroma over blackberry and bergamot. Medium-bodied, really vibrant, with tangy acidity and a flamboyant aromatic expression. There's incense on the palate and star anise, with quite marked almost citrussy acidity. Tannins are present but tempered. Such a distinctive house style here, really memorable and complex. Vines of forty years of age on average, lieu-dit Les Arlettes, fermented in concrete eggs then matured in them for 24 months. Grapes are destemmed, no additions. Very heavy bottle sealed with an Ardeaseal stopper.

Black olive and anchovy tapenade along with a fine smokiness, a beautifully scented wine. Medium-bodied but has great intensity and focus. Raspberry and rosemary on the palate. Great balance, great complexity, a beautifully elegant imagining of what Cornas could be. An aerial Cornas of incredible refinement. From lieux-dits Saint Pierre and Mazard, no destemming.

I love the smoky freshness here, like fireworks, paprika and cigar smoke. Only medium-bodied, less full on the palate compared to the Harmonie cuvée, in fact. Beautiful finesse, such an elegant style of Cornas. Very upright, with a saline mineral edge and great purity and definition. Wonderful balance and expressiveness. I would drink this vintage of Reynard young, though it will age well too. From 30-year-old vines in Reynard, one of the finest lieu-dits in Cornas. Whole bunch fermented, matured in one- and two-year-old 400L barrels.

Thyme and pine needles behind the blackberry and raspberry fruit. Has some depth and weight on the mid-palate, along with a dense lattice of ripe tannin. Acidity is well balanced, there's a good sense of freshness and drive through the palate. Longer and deeper than most 2018 Cornas. Great saline beam through the wine holding up the very ripe fruit. Seductively drinkable now, but will age longer than most. Vines with an average age of 60 years on lieux-dits Combe, Patou, La Côte, Les Mazards et Chaillot. 20% whole bunch, fermented in stainless steel, matured for 18 months in barriques, 20% new.

All destemmed, matured in new or one-year-old barrels. Plentiful oak spice to the very ripe berry coulis aromas, a smoky paprika hint lends further interest. Ripe, round, very juicy, but this has lovely freshness on the palate and a lifted finish. Very much in the hedonistic house style. Good balance and length, really vibrant. Finishes on smoky oak. A 'modern' style of Cornas, done with great panache and skill.

Agreeably old-school style, this has liquorice and herbal bitters on the nose, and is less overtly fruity than some 2018s. A fresh, neat and upright style of Cornas with real impact on the palate, very tight and focussed. Highly saline. There's no excess fat or fruit here, it's all trimmed away to expose the mineral core. Blackcurrant and blackcurrant leaf, this has intense mineral drive and great freshness. Really exceptional, excellent work coming from this domaine lately. Drinkable now, but will be at its best from 2026. A small domaine of 1.5ha, this is from lieu-dit Patou, southeast facing, partly destemmed, fermented in concrete, aged for a year in barriques.

Really lovely, easy-going aromatic expression, it has the hot-sand, mineral signature of Cornas without excess oak or ripeness. A menthol note brings further interest. It's only medium-bodied, but has great freshness and definition. Perfectly balanced, with a grippy, chewy finish. A very fine, naturalistic expression of Cornas that's very rewarding to drink. With only light extraction it’s so drinkable. I would drink it young, but there's no hurry to. Old vines from Les Mazards and some from Légre. Organic viticulture, whole bunch, fermented in concrete, aged on old demi-muids, no fining or filtration.

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.

This has a very enticing nose, a touch of spice and polished wood to compliment the fresh blackberry and blackcurrant. Lovely freshness and presence on the palate, it's full-bodied but not thick or heavy. Well-balanced acidity. This is very well judged, with great focus and intensity. I would drink this now and enjoy it's searing, edgy freshness. But it will no doubt age fairly well too. 20- to 30-year-old vines, 20% new oak.

Some reduction on opening but it blows off with a decant. Very smooth, polished mouthfeel, with that distinctive blackcurrant fruit found in this domaine’s Terres Brûlées. Real intensity, focus and drive through the palate. That edgy granite feel is present, along with a graphite edge and a salinity on the finish. Good freshness, very well-balanced, with coursing tannins. Highly textural. You could drink this young, but it will last.

Great freshness on the nose – pink peppercorns, liquorice, wild herbs and black olive. Medium-bodied style, no excess oak or pushed ripeness. Lovely sense of energy and salinity on the palate. Possibly the best vintage to date of this fairly new cuvée. Has presence and intensity and a really authentic Cornas style. Very savoury, great impact, assertive structure. Enjoyably textural now, and will last. A parcel in lieu-dit Les Rieux at around 400m altitude, planted by Guillaume.

Very smoky style, like extinguished bonfires. There's black olive and rosemary too, along with a grind of black pepper. Fairly full-bodied, but by no means over extracted, this has an enjoyable clarity to the aromatics. Acidity is good, alcohol is balanced, oak well-integrated and not excessive. A little hint of farmyard in the background brings complexity and doesn't dominate. Fresh and briny on the palate, tannins are fine-boned but grippy. Very good.

An animated aromatic display, with ripe blackberry coulis, burnt toast, prune and dark chocolate all jostling for attention. The oak is marked on the nose and the palate at this early stage. Very powerful, the alcohol feels a little warming, it leans a touch towards overripeness (unlike the Eygats cuvée from this domaine). Great power and intensity, but the oak, sweet fruit and alcohol make for a very rich mouthful, with hoisin sauce and cola on the palate. It does, however, maintain flavour definition and a great sense of freshness. This is drinkable now for those that like an oaked style, but I would wait for it to integrate further. The fruit underneath is exceptional, but the oak is a little distracting. Old vines in lieu-dit La Sabarotte, all destemmed, malolactic fermentation and maturation in 70% new barrels and 30% 1-year-old.

A little coffee bean and plum on the nose. Full-bodied, quite dense and velvety on the palate. The oak here is quite marked, more so than the Empreintes cuvée from this domaine. It has good freshness, definition and a long finish. Very ripe and approachable for a Cornas, the tannins are plentiful but soft. 30-year-old vines, 30% new oak.

Very smoky oak, fireworks and bonfires. Violets emerge with air. Dense and full-bodied, but has a good upright feel. A powerful, driving style that’s focused. Has that Cornas assertiveness on the palate with a large tannic load, and it's quite polished. This is good, it has some grit and grunt.

Plenty of generosity on the palate from the fruit. The tannins are forthright and serrated, but they’re ripe and not dry or fibrous. It's quite an idiosyncratic style of Cornas, I like the focus on the texture in this wine and its savoury finish. Generous on the palate but fluid and drinkable with a good sense of freshness thanks to balanced acidity and salinity. The best Cornas I've tasted from this domaine to date, it has a natural unforced power from the terroir. 10-year-old vines, destemmed but not crushed.