A nice Cornas
- Thread starter Sharon Bowman
- Start date
Sharon,
Cornas has undergone some fairly serious changes since many of us here started drinking the stuff. Back in the '80s, when I first discovered some at Garnet, the grapes were rarely destemmed and the cellar conditions were...uh...primitive in many cases. The wines were hard, tannic and unyielding in their youth, with downright furry tannins oftentimes. I quickly learned to put them away and forget about them for as along as possible. Last year, I had the '86 and '87 Cornas from Verset and Clape, and in all cases the wines were very much alive and interesting, if not exactly fruity. Verset is no longer making much wine and Clape's winemaking has changed. I don't think that many current-day Cornas are as unrewarding in their youth as those earlier versions were, and it remains to be seen whether they will prove to be as ageworthy. I think that for modern-day versions, SFJoe's 10-15 advice is on the money. I'd be happy to be proven wrong, though.
Mark Lipton
Cornas has undergone some fairly serious changes since many of us here started drinking the stuff. Back in the '80s, when I first discovered some at Garnet, the grapes were rarely destemmed and the cellar conditions were...uh...primitive in many cases. The wines were hard, tannic and unyielding in their youth, with downright furry tannins oftentimes. I quickly learned to put them away and forget about them for as along as possible. Last year, I had the '86 and '87 Cornas from Verset and Clape, and in all cases the wines were very much alive and interesting, if not exactly fruity. Verset is no longer making much wine and Clape's winemaking has changed. I don't think that many current-day Cornas are as unrewarding in their youth as those earlier versions were, and it remains to be seen whether they will prove to be as ageworthy. I think that for modern-day versions, SFJoe's 10-15 advice is on the money. I'd be happy to be proven wrong, though.
Mark Lipton
you guys like Cornas too young. A 1981 Clape Magnum was great a few months ago on the first night, too oxidized to tell anything on the second day.
Drink 1995s? I will grant that 1995 Voge VV is pretty good, but my 1994 and 1995 Clapes are not going to be touched for a few years. 1985 Juge is good now.
Drink 1995s? I will grant that 1995 Voge VV is pretty good, but my 1994 and 1995 Clapes are not going to be touched for a few years. 1985 Juge is good now.
Jay Miller
Jay Miller
A 1998 Verset was stunningly good about a month ago. And there is a lot of Verset in this week's winebid too but I bought some last week so I shouldn't indulge again.
Claude Kolm
Claude Kolm
The Granit 30 is Paris's young vine cuve. The 30, as far as I know, doesn't really signify anything. The wine is entirely from destemmed grapes, raised 2/3 in used barrels, 1/3 in cuve. It is meant to be drunk young, although I think it will be able to age a dozen years or more.
The Granit 60 is from three separate parcels of old vines on very steep slopes in Patou and Mazard (100 years old) and Samon (not so old). About 1/3 of the stems are used. All raised in oak, none new. Beginning with 2007, some Bas de Geynale, from his uncle Robert Michel, will be mixed in. Although intended for aging, the bottles I've had could be drunk young.
Beginning in 2007, Paris has a third Cornas cuve, La Geynale, from vines planted in 1910, which Paris and some outside investors bought from Robert Michel. It is raised in all in cask (regular and demi-muid) and 80% of the stems are used.
Paris works with very low sulphur levels, mostly just adding it before bottling.
Although Paris may seem modern, he in fact is very traditional and serious. The tannins are changing everywhere in Cornas, though, becoming rounder, perhaps even too round for my tastes -- this may come from later harvesting, I'm not sure.
Re a comment about Clape above, other than the rounder tannins, I am unaware of anything different from the way the wines have been made in the past. In fact, Clape is one of the last few in the Northern Rhne to include stems.
The Granit 60 is from three separate parcels of old vines on very steep slopes in Patou and Mazard (100 years old) and Samon (not so old). About 1/3 of the stems are used. All raised in oak, none new. Beginning with 2007, some Bas de Geynale, from his uncle Robert Michel, will be mixed in. Although intended for aging, the bottles I've had could be drunk young.
Beginning in 2007, Paris has a third Cornas cuve, La Geynale, from vines planted in 1910, which Paris and some outside investors bought from Robert Michel. It is raised in all in cask (regular and demi-muid) and 80% of the stems are used.
Paris works with very low sulphur levels, mostly just adding it before bottling.
Although Paris may seem modern, he in fact is very traditional and serious. The tannins are changing everywhere in Cornas, though, becoming rounder, perhaps even too round for my tastes -- this may come from later harvesting, I'm not sure.
Re a comment about Clape above, other than the rounder tannins, I am unaware of anything different from the way the wines have been made in the past. In fact, Clape is one of the last few in the Northern Rhne to include stems.
Florida Jim
Florida Jim
Pressing off sweeter?
Best, Jim
Claude Kolm
Claude Kolm
Yes. Paris makes 6000 bottles of it, but half will go to the investors (which include Livingstone-Learmonth).