Dec 16

Written by: Kristin
12/16/2008 3:01 PM

Fortunately for me, I get to taste (read: drink) a lot of good wine. Most of what I get to taste is wine that the agency is bringing in to the province for sale to restaurant and private clients. It is usually above my everyday drinking snack bracket, so is always a welcome addition to my glass!
A couple of weeks ago, my colleague & buddy Mark Cuff came into the office bearing an incredible gift. Mark gets as excited about good wine as I do… Great wine sparks great discussion. I for one am tough to shut up once I get going…

So, in walks Mark, glint in his eye, bottle under arm. He’s carrying the famed Domaine du Coulet, from Cornas in the Northern Côte du Rhône. I have read of this wine in passing, and have heard Mark speak of it. The winemaker is Matthieu Barret, who is maybe 35 years old. The Domaine holds 4.5 hectares of prime old vines in Cornas. The yields are exceptionally low (approximately 8hl/ha for his top bottling) and production is tiny. The entire property is farmed biodynamically. The wines start at $90 CAD.
The wine we tasted was the 2006 Les Billes Noires, Domaine du Coulet’s top bottling. The colour of the wine was inky purple black. Matthieu does not filter or fine his wines. As the aspect of his vines receive much of the daily sun’s rays, his grapes have longer hang time. This means that the grapes are able to develop fully phenolically. Translation: his wines have great colour and flavour extract. They are dark, almost opaque.

The nose was exactly what you would hope for in a Syrah from the Northern Rhone, and so much more… Deep, dark berry fruit (think blackberry puree), fresh whole fragrant peppercorns, bruised floral notes (pungent ripe violet) and an almost overriding salty quality. From the description I’ve just penned, you might think the wine over the top. Not at all… Just very accomplished.
On first taste, the wine was overwhelmingly full… viscous. The mineral saltiness first detected on the nose seemed to slide over the wine in the mouth, almost coating it in mineral flavour. Once through that barrier, the fruit opened up. Tons of dark, rich berry flavour, as well as layers of subtle spice, including notes of pepper. My overwhelming impression was of how alive this wine was… The finish evolved through the fruit, leaving light spice fragrance and iodine flavours for long minutes on the palate. This is an excellent wine. Unlike any Cornas I’ve experienced.
I tasted the Domaine Coulet ‘Les Billes Noires’ two weeks ago. I wrote the above note this morning. Can’t wait to taste it again, the next time with pen in hand.
Where to find this wine?

It is currently housed at Jamie Kennedy Wine Bar, 9 Church Street, Toronto. (www.jamiekennedy.ca)The whole Canadian allocation is there.

Cheers,
Kristin

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