Spotlight
on Cornas, Northern Rhône
The vineyards of Cornas
The most southerly of the Northern Rhône red wine
appellations, Cornas is tiny. It has just 94 ha of vines: bear in mind
that there are several single estates in Bordeaux that each exceed this
size. The granitic south/southeast-facing slopes are planted with just
one grape, Syrah. It’s the earliest-ripening of the Northern Rhône
appellations – the first to be harvested each year – and the
resulting wines are often rich, chunky and tannic.
Despite the excellent potential of the Cornas ‘terroir’,
it’s an appellation that has struggled a bit with its image. While
Hermitage and Côte Rôtie have become glamorous in recent years, Cornas
hasn’t received the same positive press. It seems, though, that
there’s now a critical mass of producers making wines impressive
enough to turn this situation around. There will never be a lot of
Cornas made, but with the twin benefits of the Syrah grape and the
wonderful terroirs, there’s no excuse for anyone making wines that are
less than interesting. Recent vintages – 1998, 1999, 2000 – have all
been very good, and the reports so far on 2001 are promising.
Clape
Cornas 1999
Youthful inky purple colour. Pronounced spicy, savoury nose with
vivid fruit lurking underneath. Some new wood here? Chunky, rich savoury
palate with a minerally edge. Good concentration, but a bit closed and
woody at the moment. Very good+
Domaine Courbis Cornas Champelrose 1999
Youthful deep purple colour. Intense, rich spicy nose is dominated
by raspberry fruit. Tasty, rich savoury palate shows good concentration
and nice balance. Youthful and quite tannic. Very good/excellent
Domaine Courbis Cornas Les Eygats 1999
Slightly lighter colour than its siblings. Chunky and youthful, this
is unapproachable now. Rich and spicy with firm tannins and high
acidity. Very good+
Domaine Courbis Cornas La Sabarotte 1999
Inky purple black colour. Nice smoky meatiness to the nose, which is
rich and spicy. The palate is rich and full, displaying chunky, spicy,
tannic fruit. Quite a big wine. Very good+
Gilbert Serrette Cornas Patou 2000
Very pretty sweet, almost floral blackcurrant fruit on the nose. The
palate shows more of this sweet black fruit character. Medium bodied,
with some tannin, but quite atypically fruity. Very good
Alain Voge Cornas 1999
Vivid purple/black colour. Rich, sweetly fruited nose with some
liquoricey complexity. Quite forward and intense. Good concentration on
the palate, which displays juicy, meaty berry fruit. Expressive and
savoury, with a spicy finish – an interesting wine. Very
good/excellent
Vincent
Paris Cornas 2000
The plain label bodes well for this wine! Wonderfully savoury,
meaty, spicy nose is deliciously complex, with a liquoricey edge. The
palate is chunky with savoury, meaty fruit and some spice. Lots of
personality. Very good/excellent
Eric et Joel Durand Cornas 2000
Nice savoury meaty, spicy nose with some attractive sweet raspberry
fruit. Savoury, meaty palate shows lovely balance. The fruit shines
through. Delicious stuff, with some tannic structure. Very
good/excellent
Gabriel Meffre Cornas Laurus 1998
Slightly muted nose. Savoury chunky palate is woody. A bit light and
disappointing. Good/very good
Chapoutier Cornas 1999
Rich, woody, spicy nose. Light-ish with a high acid palate.
Youthful, savoury and woody. Good/very good
Cave de Tain l’Hermitage Cornas Nobles Rives 1999
Savoury, chunky, rustic nose. Good density of spicy fruit on the
palate with firm tannins and good acidity. Very good
Noel Verset Cornas 2000
Octogenerian Noel Verset still makes some of the best examples of
Cornas, in a traditional style. This is a bright purple colour with an
arresting savoury/meaty nose showing forward green olive notes. The
palate shows a great concentration of pure Syrah fruit: dense, meaty and
intense. Firm tannins. Superb stuff, and very satisfying. It’s a shame
this is his last vintage. Very good/excellent
Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillot 2000
Deep, vivid purple. There’s a sweetness to the fruit on the nose,
which is a tiny bit awkward at this infant stage, and shows a lifted
acid edge. Juicy, chunky, bright fruit on the palate with firm tannins
and good acidity. A bit awkward now. Very good+
Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard 2000
Youthful, lifted acid on the nose, which is a bit closed. Rich,
chunky tannic palate with a good concentration of dense fruit; almost
unapproachable now. Potential here for a higher rating. Very good+
Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard 1999
A huge wine. Slightly closed, savoury nose has deep fruit and spicy
notes. Concentrated, savoury, spicy tannic palate. Very youthful with
lots of potential. Good balance, but currently unapproachable. Very
good/excellent
Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard 1998
Still closed but opening a little. Intense, focused, meaty fruit on
the nose, which is very savoury and spicy. The palate shows lovely,
savoury, meaty Syrah and firm, bright, spicy tannins. Great
concentration and lots of potential here. Very good/excellent
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