Maison Gilliard, Valais (Switzerland) Cornalin 2016

 Some of my colleagues on WRO who know that I’m not much of a fan of Beaujolais will wonder why I love this wine (and many renditions of Cornalin, more broadly), as the body is light-ish and the fruit quite exuberant.  But if they taste it, you’ll hear the concurring opinions come rolling in.  The berry fruit is just gorgeous, and I worry that the blueberries that are emblazoned on the label may have seeded my sensory experience… but that does indeed seem to be the predominant fruit flavor.  There’s also a red fruit note, and maybe a black one too, but the fruit is so pure and palpable that I can’t claim in all honesty to be able to sort all of them out.  There is enough tannic grip to give this a good shot at the table with poultry and light meats, but the tannin is so ripe and fine in grain that this won’t put anybody off if just poured straight-up at a summer party.  An absolutely winning, utterly delicious wine.  You probably heard it here first, but rather than taking any credit, here’s a tip of the cap to all vintners who are still growing this instead of pulling it out to plant Pinot, which can surely command higher prices and also be exported much more easily.