Collection: Domaine Auguste Clape: Tannins and Tradition

When Cornas became an appellation in 1938, most grape growers of the area were selling their entire crop to négociants. Compared to the ever-shining stars of Hermitage or Côte-Rôtie, little-known Cornas was somewhat of an outlier. In the mid-1950s, vigneron Auguste Clape was one of the first to bottle and sell his own wine. Over decades of painstaking work, he mastered the dramatic landscape of Cornas’ vineyards, planted in punishingly steep terraces and forbidding the use of any machinery, paving the way for the producers of the appellation.

Auguste Clape, along with his son and grandson who are taking care of the estate now, are traditionalists, known for pushing ripeness to the extreme and a strict policy about destemming: none at all! Stem tannins add to the bold structure of the wine, providing the backbone for a remarkable longevity in the cellar.

While the red wines at Domaine Clape are made exclusively with the grape Syrah, the domaine is still viewed as a master at blending. Grapes are harvested on different parcels (mostly old vines from vineyards such as La Côte or Reynard), fermented in whole bunches and later assembled after 18 to 24 months in old wood casks (foudres).

The flagship Cornas is typically a “dazzling, dark-fruited beast” (Wine Advocate) best enjoyed after some assuaging time in the cellar. Tasted among many Northern Rhône wines at our most recent Third-Thursday Tasting, the 2019 was an absolute crowd favorite. Ink-colored, tannic; it is definitely a grippy, powerful wine with a welcome hint of rusticity. While the vintage will reward patient collectors, the 2018 and 2014 vintages are currently drinking beautifully. Obtained from younger vines, the Cornas ‘Renaissance’ is fairly more approachable but also benefits from a few years of bottle age. Both cuvées are loaded with blackberries and violets, and offer a balanced palate revealing savory, smoky notes and a steely, irony finish.

Produced from a tiny parcel of Marsanne and Roussanne in a neighboring appellation, the Saint-Péray is the only white wine produced by the domaine. Showing pure notes of white flowers, pear and honeycomb, it rises way above its curiosity status to offer a lively expression of this idiomatic Northern Rhône blend.

Auguste Clape believed in Cornas so much that he went on to serve as the town’s mayor. And his august wines, with their reputation patiently earned, are vastly credited for a recent surge into the mainstream for the once modest appellation. Modest, nowadays, in size maybe, but certainly not in character or importance.