Densely packed, with fine, juicy acidity running throughout, this sports intense boysenberry and raspberry fruit along with plenty of bramble, black pepper and chalk notes.
Reviews:
- Wine Advocate: The 2011 Cornas is drinking beautifully right now, 10 years after the vintage. Nicely developed notes of leather and faint herbal flourishes accent redcurrants on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is plush and velvety, capped off by a long, elegant finish.
- James Suckling: Complex wine, from a fruit-driven vintage, this has always been quite open and approachable. The palate has a firmish tannin frame with red fruit at the core. Plush. Some earthy and woody savoriness coming through.
Producer Information
Domaine Auguste Clape is a wine estate in the Cornas appellation of the northern Rhône. The domaine is named for its eponymous owner, who is considered among the world’s most highly regarded producers, particularly for his wines made from Syrah. The estate comprises only 8 hectares (20 acres) of old vines on prime parcels of sunny, steeply terraced vineyards on the western banks of the Rhône. The grapes are picked as late as possible for optimum ripeness, which often involves risky gambles with the weather. Individual parcels are fermented in old oval foudres. The Auguste Clape Cornas is one of the most popular wines from the appellation, and serves as the flagship wine. Alongside this, the Cornas Cornas Cuvée Renaissance provides a slightly more approachable expression, and is made from younger vines. Auguste Clape also makes a Côtes du Rhône and the Vin des Amis Vin de France from 100-percent Syrah, as well as tiny amounts of Saint Péray Blanc, from just 0.2ha (0.5 acres) of Marsanne.
