Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas 2021 750ml

" A tasting of the constituent lieux-dits indicates that this will be a fresh, well-balanced style of Cornas. The acidity is high this year, and the tannins are classically Cornas in their granitic grain and intensity. A highly structured year, this will always be a vintage for dedicated Cornas-lovers, there's no great wealth of rich fruit behind like in some recent vintages, but nonetheless this should age well. Very much a classic year, rather than the powerfully ripe and rich vintages we've seen since 2017. Whole-bunch fermented in concrete, aged in old foudres." 96 Points Decanter

" The 2021 Cornas is a small step up over the Renaissance, with a touch more density and depth, although both play in the more medium-bodied, moderately concentrated style of the vintage. Classy blue fruits, plums, violets, and sappy, peppery notes all define the aromatics, and it's nicely balanced, with fine tannins, and outstanding length. It too will benefit from a few years and drink nicely over the following decade." 92 Points Jeb Dunnuck

"The 2021 Cornas is a solid red that’s concentrated and elegant, offering crushed violet, red plum, red cherry and iodine layers paired with stemmy gradations. The medium-bodied 2021 concludes with wonderful freshness on the savory finish. It shouldn’t take long to come around, something that cannot be said for the surrounding vintages." 92 Points Vinous

Importer Notes:

In the world of wine, there are many good winegrowers. However, there are only a very select few who are truly great, and Auguste Clape will go down in history as one of the greats. A proud and uncompromising pioneer of fine winemaking in the northern Rhône, his Syrahs from the cru of Cornas have earned their place among the most celebrated wines of France. The Clapes have been vignerons for many generations, but the infamous grower strikes of 1906 and 1907 forced Auguste’s grandfather out of the Languedoc and into the northern Rhône to start anew from practically nothing. The Clapes rebuilt their fortunes, terrace by terrace, along the steep, western slopes of the Rhône River. For many years, the majority of growers in Cornas sold their fruit to négociants. Auguste was the first to bottle his own wine, which eventually paved the way for such contemporary superstars as Thierry Allemand. Without pretense or fanfare, Auguste, the former mayor of Cornas, was a stately picture of grace and magnanimity—a no-nonsense wise man who never rested on his laurels and sought to better himself and his wines each year until his passing in 2018 at the age of 93. Today, his son, Pierre-Marie, and grandson, Olivier, carry on his legacy with honor and integrity.
     Though the Clapes farm only eight hectares, the challenge presented by the rough, tightly stacked terrace vineyards of Cornas is largely enough to handle by anybody’s standards. The dicey precipices make using any machinery in the vineyards impossible. All work must be done by hand. There are no official rules to their viticultural methodology—they work the old-fashioned way, by instinct, feeling, and common sense.