Deep ruby at the core with a pale ruby edge, the 2018 Columella explodes from the glass with high-toned, dark red fruit aromas of black raspberry, dusty plum and dark cherry skin in the glass, with an alluring essence of dust-blown red flowers and a kiss of baking spices layered through the nose. Medium-bodied and bursting with flavour, the wine shows impeccable balance, succulent acidity and lifting tannins, making way for a delightful mineral tension sensation across the mid-palate. The wine somersaults in the mouth, revealing new layers of black olive and dusty black cherry skin before concluding with a long, evolving finish marked by a dusty, red-berried essence that begs me back for more. This is a wine where, once you have a sip, you can’t help being seduced by its intoxicating aromas that will leave your head spinning. Another stunningly brilliant vintage of Columella.
The 2017 Columella begins with a dusty essence and dark-fruited core, that is dusty yet still has a softness to the nose. The palate is expressive with an austere peppery edge that is tightly wound with dusty tannins and a sandy powdering of blackberry, dark cherry and black plum skin. Ethereally structured, the wine has power and precision that is highly complex and will age for decades to come. The finish is shy, yet still having the depth and breadth of a fine wine, that lingers with a firm dusty minerality and tannic grip.
The nose has a structural rigidity with a firm mineral presence, which I typically get from the Northern Rhône. Once on the palate, the wine expands in the mouth, unfolding its layers, showing great complexity with a tightly structured grip. Medium-bodied, the complexity continues on to the finish, continually expressing new sensations, ending with fresh cherry skins with a long, taught finish. Very few wines show this elegance and mineral tension, alongside with the dusty freshness and vibrancy.
