2011 Auguste Clape Cornas

Auguste Clape is located in Cornas, in the Rhone Valley. The estate owns ten acres and leases another four acres. It is run by the Clape family, with Pierre-Marie, son of the much admired Auguste, now in charge. The estate produces 24,000 bottles a year of Cornas and Cotes du Rhone. Clape wines are often difficult to acquire because so many French restaurants buy as much of Clape’s annual production as possible. Robert M. Parker Jr., an admirer of patriarch Auguste and his wines, has written that “Auguste Clape is…responsible for the renewed interest in the wines of Cornas. (His) wines combine the robust, aggressive tannin and enormous structure of a Cornas, with a tremendous extraction of peppery, jammy fruit.” Parker added that “No one disputes the fact that Clape’s Cornas is the reference point for the appellation.”

The Northern Rhône Valley wine region hugs the Rhône River from Vienne in the north to Valence at its southern tip. The French call the region Côtes du Rhône Septentrionales, and it is divided into eight appellations. Along with its neighbor to the south, the Southern Rhone Valley, it is famous for its big, tannic, intensely concentrated wines. Syrah is the only red grape permitted in AOC wines from this sub-region, though the Syrah can be blended with the white wine grapes Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne, depending on the regulations for each AOC. White wines are made from Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. Of the eight appellations in the north, the most admired wines tend to come from Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu and Hermitage, though there are certainly exceptional wines to be found in St. Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, St.-Peray, Crozes-Hermitage and Cornas. Along with Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne, Rhône wines are among France’s best known and most collected wines. Red wines from these appellations are notable for their signature aromas of bacon and green olives, and for their depth. Robert M. Parker, a great champion of Rhone wines, has written that “the northern Rhône produces three of the greatest wines in the world – the white wines of Condrieu and the red wines of Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage.”

This grape is grown in milder climates and produces a medium-to full-bodied wine. It is also known as Shiraz, but should not be confused with Petit Sirah, which was developed by crossing Syrah with Peloursin.