Franck Balthazar, Cornas Cuvee Casimir, 2023 SO031026 Fornerot Chapelle-Chambertin sits on the lower

Chapelle-Chambertin sits on the lower slopes of Gevrey-Chambertin's Grand Cru belt

Old-vine Cinsault from Lodi

Think bright cherry and raspberry

with citrus pulled toward marmalade and the lees-derived texture deepened into something almost waxy

The 2012 vintage was a classic study in adversity rewarded: spring frosts and hail cut yields by forty percent

Franck Balthazar, Cornas Cuvee Casimir, 2023 SO031026 Fornerot Chapelle-Chambertin sits on the lowerFranck Balthazar farms organically and vinifies with old school Cornas precision, letting his granite terroir speak without makeup. Cuvee Casimir is his more accessible Cornas bottling, named in the family tradition and built for earlier drinking than his flagship sites. The 2023 leans into juicy black and red fruit, a twist of pepper, and the savory, smoky edge that marks this appellation. Approachable young, but it will hold and gain complexity over