Beautiful nose, raspberry jam, carob, floral notes. Very fine dry tannins and nice acidity, coupled with hung meat, blackberry jam and a long finish. Hint of white pepper and iron.
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Cork soaked about a third through, came out cleanly and easily.
2.5 hour decant. Some fine sediment.
Fantastic wine! The wine is still very much alive and still showing fruits, albeit lean. Meaty, ferric tones and very clear olive notes. Lovely freshness and good integrated tannins. A very fine and rare treat indeed. Tertiary notes just coming into life. Almost no browning.This wine is now very much a food wine. Excellent with lamb stew.
Wish I had more bottles.
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Noticeably cloudy color. Expressive nose of farmyard, brett, earth, bacon, spice. Very complex, masculine, animalic. Northern Rhone, old style without seat belt, ABS and ESP. :-) The palate is well balanced, 13% Alc. so fresh and food friendly. So drinkable, the bottle was gone within minutes at the table with my friends.
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Four Bottles to Kick Off 2024 in Style (Santa Ynez, California): Bought on release and shared by a generous friend, this wine was singing from the moment opened. Clean and savory, with smokey, herbal and sweeter elements mingling happily with the dark fruit and coffee notes. The Clape signature for me was more iodine than barnyard, adding some lift and never distracting from this treat of a wine.
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Tasted vis-a-vis the Voge VV, this comes out more seeek, seems to have finally arrived. The fruit is bright, yet deep, lots of tell-tale olive notes here, black fruit, fine depth. #JR&Co
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Double decanted, enjoyed over 4 hours. Couldn't have been in better shape, this bottle was showing perfectly. Super expressive on the nose and the palate was showing incredible elegance in its fruit through its age. The elegance, of course, was framed by the classic deep smokey meaty notes you want from old Clape. I'm sad it was my last bottle.
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Decanting is advisable and one should not be fooled by the beautiful nose and avoid it. The wine is closed at this stage and needs its time to develop on the palate presence. The nose though needs no help and no introductions, elegant, soft smoky, good fruit and ever expressive without ever becoming voluptuous. On the palate it disappoints a bit as it lacks excitement. It’s not poor or harsh just, ok touch bitter edge from the tannin. It’s a 91 thanks to the nose but top for the money one spends for this is probably not worth it. Drinks at will.
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Much more evolved compared to the excellent bottle I had last year - lots of acidity, balsamic notes, earth, mushrooms, spices on nose and palate. Quite rustic (in a good way), lacking fruit, a little tired and drying towards the finish. Fine length. Drink up. 90-92
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Tasted at the domaine. After going through the recente vintages (separate plots and the final blend), Olivier opened up this unlabelled bottle and asked us to guess the vintage. We were surprised this was 2001 as it tasted much younger. Plenty of fruit with prominent notes of cassis. A pleasure to drink and building over the half hour after it was openend. Maybe because we tasted this after the most recent vintages, but it wasn't heavy or overbearing but fresh and enticing with little signs of ageing. Really shows the ageing potential of these wines!
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Clape 2001 was a case of a grumpy and stubborn wine needing some air to clear up. After 90 minutes of aeration the nose releases notes of smoke, meat, black olives intermixed with dried black fruit. Substantial, robust and still quite structured on the palate. The fun, olivey, meaty, fruit is there but needs more time or air for the structural elements to settle in. Hold or plan on several hours of air.
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Iodine galore, the medicine cabinet is open. Tight, but the juice is arriving, this is a true blooded Cornas, takes no prisoners, invited guests only, please - will be interesting to see this in a couple of hours.
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Drank at Sick restaurant in Amsterdam. Sour cherry, blackberry and unripe green bell pepper on the nose initially, softened significantly with some time in an open bottle. Smoot on the plate with lots of black fruit, especially blackcurrant and blackberries, some signs of development with tea, some leather. Still tight and fruit forward, can live for at least another decade.
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And here it is ... iron, blood galore, this is the real stuff. Tannins are smooth, everything is in place, drinks like a baby. Glad, I have a case left. Tightens with air, this is still very young ... #Peytz
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Super classic Syrah on the nose - a bit of cured meat, dark fruit, spices, woodsmoke, liquorice. On the palate concentrated and dense, lots of depth and complexity. Sweet fruit, spicy, nice tannic bite with a fine thread of acidity leading to a vibrant, long fishish. A great bottle. No rush drinking up. 92-94
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Overtly medicinal without a trace of Syrah let alone Cornas about it. After being open for an hour, it smelled alarmingly like sawdust. Despite more attempts than I care to remember, I have never had a great bottle of aged Clape, selling off most.
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The nose is somewhat mute at this stage, but it is definitely on the feral side. There is some barnyard, horse-stall-like funk, blood, marinated meat, olive brine, Sauvage, on top of red and black cherries and plums. On the palate, the wine is meaty and juicy. The feeling is like chewing a beautifully tender piece of steak, but at the same time, there is a core of fruit, red plum, red and black cherries, and a strike of bloody minerality and acidity giving tension to the wine. The finish is long and grippy. If I had more, I would wait another 5-10 years, as the promise this wine has shown is immense, and it is just starting to unwind.
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Phenomenal bottle. Cork came out easily with Ah-So. Some bricking, but what one expects for a 19-year wine. Intense, pure bouquet of smoked cherry that continues into the mouth. Medium-full, but the elegance that marks Clape (or at least did at this era). Super length. No rush to drink. A prime example of Cornas being equally as great as Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie. This is why we cellar wine -- but it does fade after a few hours in the decanter. Kermit Lynch import, cellared since original release.
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My ex wife used to say about dying in a plane crash, but what a spectacular way to go! I thought about that as I drank this Cornas. Because alas, it’s on its way out. Orange on the rim, burnt caramel on the nose, a touch of alcoholic burn. But what a final act. When I decanted it, I sniffed and got a nose full of grilled meat. An hour later, my glass was filled with asphalt, tar, and mineral aromas, with some lingering BBQ and blueberry crisp, maybe a bit black at the edges. Asian spices, red fruits, and more caramel on the palate. Lively finish. More good news: I have seven bottles left... perhaps others will have held up better. I promise to report. Day three: olives!
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Slight bricking, medium red color. Still possessing plenty of sweet raspberry and boysenberry fruit. Remarkably fresh. Intense black olive and anise notes on the finish. Really good now, but plenty of structure to age gracefully well into the future.
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UWS Leap year dinner (@ CdW and KvdK): A lot of herbs and spiciness in the bouquet. Tea and leather as well. On the palate a rustic wine with earth and forest floor impressions. Full bodied and concentrated and beautiful.
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Perfect cork and level. Medium wt colour, light rim. Beautiful bright expressive fragrance, inky, smokey, licorice, black berries, plum, with a lifted floral blueberry scent. Silky texture, very refined, seamless throughout, super fine tannins. Like a fine old Burgundy structurally but with a darker fruit profile and inky/spicy finish. Truly delicious and drinking perfectly.
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Dark purple. Reticent nose. Black cherry and ripe plum fruit. Plenty of fruit remains at this stage of maturation. Game, and heme notes on the finish. A terrific wine now with plenty of reserve to further improve.
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Svart kjerne med kant som ikke viser mye tegn til modning. Solbær, blåbær, kaffe og mineraler på nese. Kaffe, mineraler, blod og plomme i munn. Sinnsyk struktur, men likevel balanset. Evig lang. For å sitere Jeremy Clarkson: POWER! 96
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Clape Vertical (Table, Donkey & Stick - Chicago, IL): (magnum) A beaming, intense nose that has a wonderful core of black fruit with complexity from all angles -- earth, leather, feral funk. The palate round and plush with excellent brightness, verve and intensity. Fantastic. WOTN.
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Case of the Clape (Chicago, IL): From magnum. This is the first bottle where we picked up some serial feral things going on. It's got that wild, animal thing going on in front of a backdrop of sweet black fruit. This feels far more primary, though there are definitely some nice matured elements here. Lots of syrah spice as well. The palate's got much of the same -- that wild thing and ripe black fruit, but the tannins feel less resolved than the 2004 (though that may well be the bottle size). Showing brilliantly, this probably edged out the 2010 as my wine of the night because of the extra maturity. I think in the long run the 2010 will probably be the better wine though.
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Rhone Dinner (Bobo): Following the '01 Jamet, the '01 Clape does not jump out of the glass for me. The aromatics are not very open. On the palate it is dark and dense with a lot of earth coming through. Perhaps this needed a decant to open up - and I did not have a chance to follow in my glass over a few hours.
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Rhone May Dinner (Bobo): Another bottle that came across as a bit muted on the initial pour although it opened up nicely through out the night. Lots of the blood and mineral notes. Tasty wine.
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Decanted four hours, and this is slowly coming around; behind the gruff exterior and quite sauvage character lies a beutiful red fruit, so pure and clean. Give it another year or two, and this could really be singing, I think. #FormelB
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8th bottle since released (last taste 6 years ago). The best so far, but needs to decant 3-4 hours in open caraffe. Great nose of green herbs, bacon, white pepper and some tertiary aromas perking through, ie forest floor, wet fur. Medium bodied. Rather elegant and not as forward as 2003 and not as good as the 1999, albeit the 1999 needs 10 more years. The 2001 is ready now if you decant long.
Holidays 2018 (Dogwood Grove): In honor of holy night, I pulled one of my oldest bottles from the cellar. Interesting, exotic, rustic. Enjoyable but somewhat lean and lacking some complexity. Spice, briney olive, cherry characteristics. In this lineup, its age maybe prevented it from standing out.
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Very closed and tight at first. Opened up nicely after 90 minute decant. I have had stunning vintages of Clape Cornas. This was just average to above average. Had some of the unique terroir and aroma profiles that can make this a stunning wine, but missing the complexity and depth of great vintages. But a very enjoyable and unique wine.
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Compared to Verset and Allemand on table, this clearly a more muscular and robust style of Cornas, more traditional perhaps. But really excellent, structured and balanced. Fabulous with bbq lamb. Tightened up significantly after about 1 hr open.
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Tasted over three days. Starts out very much like a medicine-cabinet, dental clinique in da house, but softens and broadens. the fruit is quite full and dark, it is very much a manly wine, roasted notes galore, chocolate and dark fruit, reminds me a bit of a les Bessards-wine. Still a young wine, only slowly coming together.
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Bouteille et bouchon en parfaite condition. Pas de passage en carafe, mais épaulé durant 90 minutes. Couleur grenat orangé. Le nez est relativement retenu, arômes sur les olives, la terre, les cailloux. En bouche, on sent une bonne matière, un peu vieillotte sans complexité. Acidité et astringence sont aussi de la partie. Bon et sympa mais pas grand. À boire sans tarder.
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A good wine. Normal reserved cornas taste with deep, brooding dark blue fruit, earth and coffee. It was not as good the second night. Can't say this is a pleasurable wine, but it is interesting and if you are in that mood, it a good sipping wine. Better with food.
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Spectacular. Decanted a half hour before lunch, and thank goodness. My girlfriend loves vodka martinis, but only if they are basically Tito's and olive juice. That's the nose on this at first. It's like using a Vicks inhaler filled with green olive tapanade. After a while, it smooths out. Duck mousse and mustard as an appetizer was a smart idea. Will it continue to age? Dunno. My dining companion says he's had better vinages of this, but agrees that this was stunning. Great start to the weekend.
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Very interesting wine. Cornas Syrah is special. Austere wine, still with lots of tannin, deep blue fruit and tar. On the second day the first sip was amazing. It had opened right up and there was this big hit of bright blue fruit. A different wine on the two nights. Both good in their own way. You've got to like your wines austere, to enjoy a Clape cornas.
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Focused Syrah aromas with smoke, bacon, minerals, forest floor and some greenness. Focused and elegant mouth feeling. The wine gave a better impression now than two years ago. Great stuff!
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This had fruit, but as the evening unfolded, this didn't. It seemed to recede into itself and become introverted. A bad bottle or just a temperamental phase?
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Lunch "Grand vin du midi qui surprend" (au Quartier Général): Un joli nez d'olives et de fruit noir. Belle bouche assez ronde et d'une élégance étonnante pour l'appellation, c'est encore puissant mais ouvert et savoureux, excellent! Encore bon pour 15 ans...! 92 pts
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Deep red. Typical tarry syrah nose, ripe slightly confit fruit, earthy and quite meaty. Soft, quite mature now, very nice though not the minerality or power of a top Cornas. Surprisingly approachable now.
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Nose take a while to fully open up. Dark fruit, dusty, with faint mint, licorice and menthol in the background. Tannins still stick on the back of the palate. A well made Cornas with sufficient age, but lacks the refinement of a better vintage. Decanted for one hour, consumed over the following two.
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Seems lesh fresh than the 2000 – something is wrong (with the 2001); Much, more evolved than expected, the color is leaning towards brown, the wine has softened, there is a sweet core here, lots of local character – it needs air of course, but it seems approachable from the get-go. I restrain from rating, as I do not think this is a representative bottle, will try another soon.
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Young, dark violet color. Typical Rhône aromas. Fresh fruit. Big, warm and concentrated. Could be mistaken for a structured C-d-P. Appears very young and might improve with cellaring.
When the glass filled with this inky deep garnet syrah, we knew we were in for something special in spite of the fact there was wine that had leaked out and stained the label, precipitating our opening the bottle. At first sniff, half of this team discerned mushrooms, earthiness, and dust. The other half took in aromas of savoury cheese rind and lead pencil. With time, hints of macerated black olives, dried herbs and a touch of tart pomegranate came to the fore with a long finish and soft tannins. We drank this robust yet elegant wine with braised beef oxtail in a black olive sauce. Un plaisir a boire.
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Northern Rhone Dinner Part 3 - Cornas (Vancouver, BC): Okay, now we're in the zone. Salty and savory nose with lighter black fruits and quite a bit of elegance on the palate that's back by firm structure. Very long on the finish. A good time to check in on this but ultimately this needs a few more years. Excellent. 91+
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Dark red-violet. Aroma slow to develop, but with four hours there's some tapenade, coffee grounds, cherry, menthol, dust. Firm tannin and firm acidity. Flavor development since release is negligible; this drinks like a four year old Clape Cornas. Very promising for future development and for enjoyment along a long aging curve, but I'm waiting a couple more years - at least (!) - before opening another. Bottle #3 of twelve.
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After one taste, guessed that this was oxidized. Sure enough, I inspected the cork and there as a leak all the way through the length of the cork. Shame.
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A beautiful, dark and opaque purple (with much fine sediment). The nose is pure Syrah, olives, meat, and dark fruit. Ripe sweet fruit on the attack, a stiff savory backbone in the mid-palate, and finishes long with grippy but soft tannins. The real beauty of this wine is the voluptuousness of the body, the richness of the mouthfeel, the forcefulness of the grapes, all without a bit of sharpness, rusticity, or a mis-sung note. If this isn't the Burgundian iron fist in a velvet glove, I don't know what is!
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Absolutely prototypical northern rhone drinking at prime. Nose of black olives, capers, creosote, blackberry. Palate is still lush and structured, but starting to integrate. Quite a lovely and pleasurable wine to drink.
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Classic and pure nose of Syrah, i.e. meat, green herbs, bacon. More open then the last bottle a year ago. Lasted for three days without oxidizing. Quite full bodied with a sweet attack and very harmonious mid-palate. Fresh and succulent finish with ripe tannins. The tannins had come more in tha background. Very good bottle of Cornas.
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Deep dark spicey, fruit driven, lovely creamy spice, very fine tannins, lightly meaty nose, gorgeous plum and licorice, very well balanced. [willi's paris]
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Clape Cornas Vertical (RN74, San Francisco): The first vintage to show much color maturity. Fatter and softer than the 2004 but still cool and in balance. On the finish, spreading, powdery tannins and a small twinge of bitterness - last vestige of stems that haven't melted into the whole. This was lovely with the duck course, but marked by a level of brett that some found objectionable.
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@ Cafe Italia (Noam's): Tasted blind, I was sure it was a CDP. Dark fruits on the deep nose, sweet ripe prunes, earthy and herbal. On the palate full and concentrated, sweet, warm, but not overripe. This probably needs time to show the more typical side of it. Drink from 2015 to who knows. myscore 91 now, 93-94 potential.
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Beautiful expressive bouquet which already shows some development. A lot of herbs and spices as well as forest fruits in the bouquet as well as the taste. High but good acidity. Is still developing in the glass.
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I am somewhat puzzled with this wine. Decanted for two hours and enjoyed over the following three, it started out with af classic, full Clape/Cornas/Syrah nose of olives, dark fruit etc. Still very tannic, a real masculin and not really very friendly wine. It opened up during the tasting peirod, but the fruit seemed to weaken rather than strengthen ... a strange wine, maybe in an odd stage. I will look again in three years or so, hope it will be better, but the (+) indicates my faith in Clape in general ...
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Typical Clape nose of green herbs, sour cream, and some raw meat/bacon. Quite sweet attack, medium weight and a bit astringent finish. The tannins are still quite hard and it will benefit from another 5-10 years in bottle.
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Drank as a contrast to the binge of Aussie shiraz drank this week as part of a cellar spring cleaning. Throwing off huge sediment. Decanted, and drunk over 3 hours. Plenty of the meat and black olive flavors noted by others- also got a whiff of almost a lavender-like component. Initial impression was this and weak, but then mid-palate and finish produce ripe fruit flavors with stiff tannins. This will age gracefully for many years.
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A lot of primary aromas, mostly cherries. In the mouth the same, but in a beautiful way. Also red and dark forest fruits. A lot of bitterness and young but good tannin.. It is a beauty alright, but give it another 3+ years.
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Mouth-watering aromas of green olives and black fruit. A huge syrah, rich, maybe a little monolithic, but with distinct olive and grilled meat characteristics. The clear favorite at the table, where we enjoyed it with homemade pasta and red sauce with sausage.
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Disappointing. Thin red color, very little fruit left; very little flavor profile of any kind. Olive-inflected nose. Previous bottle was corked; maybe this is a bad case?
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I got a distinct whiff and taste of white truffle that D did not notice at all. Big tannic wine. Fruit might not last beyong the tannins but it's a nice tasting syrah for me right now.
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This wine has it all - incredibly sexy nose filled with blueberry, black olive and smoke. Tannins and acidity are perfectly integrated and the length is phenomonal. Will last forever.
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deep color, no signs of aging. big, mouthful of wine w/meat, tar, olives and deep fruit, loads of balanced acid and chalky tannins. this is the real deal, full of character and quality and is going to be a treat as it ages.
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Decanted 5 hrs and served with braised short ribs. Tight as a drum, but obviously well balanced and made of the stuffing to go the distance. I'd love to re-visit this wine again in about 10 years, as I suspect tonights score has five points of upside.
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solid nose of meatiness, red/black fruits, slight earthiness. completely closed for business on the palate, showing zero, zilch, nada. 2nd day did virtually nothing. let this puppy sit for a long, long time.. i have a good feeling about it. the '00 is great to drink while you wait. NR
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I don't often comment on colour but this thing was a real deep purple with dark blue and inky hues, it looked like a bruise and was a bruiser of a wine. The nose was a wonderful mix of brooding dark fruits, licorice,lavender, passionfruit skins and tar. The palate had an initial sweet attack with lashings of blueberry and spicy dark plum fruits. Once the rich, vinous liquid rolls around in the mouth a bit it becomes evident that this isn't your normal styled Cornas. There is huge amounts of dry extract, totally evaporating every last bit of saliva in the mouth. This wine, with all it's astringency, is way too young to enjoy now but will be an absolute beauty given 10+ years in the cellar.
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2004 WS Wine Experience: Syrah/Shiraz Tasting (Hyatt Regency, Chicago): Represented on the dais by owner Pierre Clape. Made from 3 vineyard parcels on steep hills in the Northern Rhone. 100% syrah, unfiltered and aged 22 months in old casks, never in new oak. Average age of the vines is 30 to 60 years old. “Cornas makes tannic wines that keep a long time”. Dark ruby color. Blackberry, mustard seed, and dill aromas. Rhubarb, plum, and dried herbal flavors, but seemed to lack complexity. PHM said that “this is a syrah that is unfettered from the mocha and vanilla of new oak, without the rusticity of most Cornas wines.” Steiman disagreed. He thought it was quite rustic. $63.
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Deep black/purple color. Big spicy aroma of olive, earth, briar, and black fruit. Big bold blackcurrent fruit on a sturdy tannic frame. Complex flavors of gamy meat. Medium long finish. 11/04
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3/7/2024 - Rani Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beautiful nose, raspberry jam, carob, floral notes. Very fine dry tannins and nice acidity, coupled with hung meat, blackberry jam and a long finish. Hint of white pepper and iron.
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2/17/2024 - johanbev Likes this wine: 97 Points
Cork soaked about a third through, came out cleanly and easily.
2.5 hour decant. Some fine sediment.
Fantastic wine! The wine is still very much alive and still showing fruits, albeit lean. Meaty, ferric tones and very clear olive notes. Lovely freshness and good integrated tannins. A very fine and rare treat indeed. Tertiary notes just coming into life. Almost no browning.This wine is now very much a food wine. Excellent with lamb stew.
Wish I had more bottles.
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1/19/2024 - Collector1855 wrote: 95 Points
Noticeably cloudy color. Expressive nose of farmyard, brett, earth, bacon, spice. Very complex, masculine, animalic. Northern Rhone, old style without seat belt, ABS and ESP. :-) The palate is well balanced, 13% Alc. so fresh and food friendly. So drinkable, the bottle was gone within minutes at the table with my friends.
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1/10/2024 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 93 Points
Four Bottles to Kick Off 2024 in Style (Santa Ynez, California): Bought on release and shared by a generous friend, this wine was singing from the moment opened. Clean and savory, with smokey, herbal and sweeter elements mingling happily with the dark fruit and coffee notes. The Clape signature for me was more iodine than barnyard, adding some lift and never distracting from this treat of a wine.
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11/28/2023 - beatles wrote: 93 Points
Tasted vis-a-vis the Voge VV, this comes out more seeek, seems to have finally arrived. The fruit is bright, yet deep, lots of tell-tale olive notes here, black fruit, fine depth.
#JR&Co
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3/12/2023 - LWI wrote: 93 Points
Grouse with friends: Mørk frukt, dyp, avrundet og behagelig på grensen til sødmefull, ingen kanter, lett granbar, kompleks finish.
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1/15/2023 - Nanda wrote: 90 Points
Just an okay bottle that had flashes of Northern Rhone nuance and complexity but seemed to close up and become stern. Hold.
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1/14/2023 - sedukai Likes this wine: 95 Points
Double decanted, enjoyed over 4 hours. Couldn't have been in better shape, this bottle was showing perfectly. Super expressive on the nose and the palate was showing incredible elegance in its fruit through its age. The elegance, of course, was framed by the classic deep smokey meaty notes you want from old Clape. I'm sad it was my last bottle.
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11/25/2022 - Papies wrote: 91 Points
Decanting is advisable and one should not be fooled by the beautiful nose and avoid it. The wine is closed at this stage and needs its time to develop on the palate presence.
The nose though needs no help and no introductions, elegant, soft smoky, good fruit and ever expressive without ever becoming voluptuous. On the palate it disappoints a bit as it lacks excitement. It’s not poor or harsh just, ok touch bitter edge from the tannin. It’s a 91 thanks to the nose but top for the money one spends for this is probably not worth it. Drinks at will.
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11/24/2022 - peolsf Likes this wine: 90 Points
Tawny red, medium legs. Dark red fruit, blueberry, cinnamon, quite woody with some leather. Decanted after a broken cork.
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11/24/2022 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 93 Points
Showing some age but still plenty of life. Carmel/balsamic, leather, earth and plum.
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11/14/2022 - rossi.wine wrote: 91 Points
Much more evolved compared to the excellent bottle I had last year - lots of acidity, balsamic notes, earth, mushrooms, spices on nose and palate. Quite rustic (in a good way), lacking fruit, a little tired and drying towards the finish. Fine length. Drink up. 90-92
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8/6/2022 - hfindlay Does not like this wine:
Definitely over the hill. Not sure why, since it’s been relatively well cellared
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5/28/2022 - levicn Likes this wine: 93 Points
中宝石红到石榴红，闻香有明显法桶特征，一股肉鲜味，山楂，茴香，混合着老年份西拉容易出现的话梅的香气，只闻了一下我就估计这大概率是一个北隆西拉了。入口酸度高，酒液咸，单宁细腻如纱，湿石头的矿物感，胡椒气息明显，黑莓混合着山楂，后段还有腌渍橄榄的咸感，余味是过法桶充分陈年带来的胭脂香料，巅峰适饮期的老酒，展现出舒展平衡的状态，长时间的陈年让它不再显得丰满，但你仍能感觉出清晰的结构和骨架。
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5/13/2022 - Tjeerio Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted at the domaine. After going through the recente vintages (separate plots and the final blend), Olivier opened up this unlabelled bottle and asked us to guess the vintage. We were surprised this was 2001 as it tasted much younger. Plenty of fruit with prominent notes of cassis. A pleasure to drink and building over the half hour after it was openend. Maybe because we tasted this after the most recent vintages, but it wasn't heavy or overbearing but fresh and enticing with little signs of ageing. Really shows the ageing potential of these wines!
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4/17/2022 - Nanda wrote: 91 Points
Clape 2001 was a case of a grumpy and stubborn wine needing some air to clear up. After 90 minutes of aeration the nose releases notes of smoke, meat, black olives intermixed with dried black fruit. Substantial, robust and still quite structured on the palate. The fun, olivey, meaty, fruit is there but needs more time or air for the structural elements to settle in. Hold or plan on several hours of air.
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4/5/2022 - KenK wrote: flawed
Dried out and dead in terms of flavors. Over the hill or hurt?
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2/28/2022 - beatles wrote: 93 Points
Iodine galore, the medicine cabinet is open. Tight, but the juice is arriving, this is a true blooded Cornas, takes no prisoners, invited guests only, please - will be interesting to see this in a couple of hours.
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1/29/2022 - jhbehrens Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drank at Sick restaurant in Amsterdam. Sour cherry, blackberry and unripe green bell pepper on the nose initially, softened significantly with some time in an open bottle. Smoot on the plate with lots of black fruit, especially blackcurrant and blackberries, some signs of development with tea, some leather. Still tight and fruit forward, can live for at least another decade.
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9/26/2021 - beatles wrote: 95 Points
And here it is ... iron, blood galore, this is the real stuff. Tannins are smooth, everything is in place, drinks like a baby. Glad, I have a case left. Tightens with air, this is still very young ...
#Peytz
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8/21/2021 - Louvin Likes this wine: 93 Points
hour decant. Agree w/ Rossi about how good this was. My mistake was the short decant as it took a while longer for more of the complexity to show.
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8/16/2021 - rossi.wine wrote: 93 Points
Super classic Syrah on the nose - a bit of cured meat, dark fruit, spices, woodsmoke, liquorice. On the palate concentrated and dense, lots of depth and complexity. Sweet fruit, spicy, nice tannic bite with a fine thread of acidity leading to a vibrant, long fishish. A great bottle. No rush drinking up. 92-94
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7/24/2021 - slanum wrote:
Overtly medicinal without a trace of Syrah let alone Cornas about it. After being open for an hour, it smelled alarmingly like sawdust. Despite more attempts than I care to remember, I have never had a great bottle of aged Clape, selling off most.
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5/15/2021 - LWI wrote: 94 Points
Classic in every way, tapenade, bonfire smoke, black fruit. Complex and mellow.
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12/19/2020 - Jan J Likes this wine:
The nose is somewhat mute at this stage, but it is definitely on the feral side. There is some barnyard, horse-stall-like funk, blood, marinated meat, olive brine, Sauvage, on top of red and black cherries and plums. On the palate, the wine is meaty and juicy. The feeling is like chewing a beautifully tender piece of steak, but at the same time, there is a core of fruit, red plum, red and black cherries, and a strike of bloody minerality and acidity giving tension to the wine. The finish is long and grippy. If I had more, I would wait another 5-10 years, as the promise this wine has shown is immense, and it is just starting to unwind.
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11/19/2020 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 91 Points
Quite nice. Well balanced damp dark soil and blackberry notes. Tannins have softened significantly.
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10/4/2020 - cfk49 wrote: 95 Points
Phenomenal bottle. Cork came out easily with Ah-So. Some bricking, but what one expects for a 19-year wine. Intense, pure bouquet of smoked cherry that continues into the mouth. Medium-full, but the elegance that marks Clape (or at least did at this era). Super length. No rush to drink. A prime example of Cornas being equally as great as Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie. This is why we cellar wine -- but it does fade after a few hours in the decanter. Kermit Lynch import, cellared since original release.
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10/3/2020 - AudunG wrote: 92 Points
Sweet, but focused and delicious Syrah aromas, with smoke and forest floor. Rich, powerful and concentrated. Rather rustique.
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7/24/2020 - hfindlay Likes this wine:
My ex wife used to say about dying in a plane crash, but what a spectacular way to go! I thought about that as I drank this Cornas. Because alas, it’s on its way out. Orange on the rim, burnt caramel on the nose, a touch of alcoholic burn. But what a final act. When I decanted it, I sniffed and got a nose full of grilled meat. An hour later, my glass was filled with asphalt, tar, and mineral aromas, with some lingering BBQ and blueberry crisp, maybe a bit black at the edges. Asian spices, red fruits, and more caramel on the palate. Lively finish. More good news: I have seven bottles left... perhaps others will have held up better. I promise to report.
Day three: olives!
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4/5/2020 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 95 Points
Slight bricking, medium red color. Still possessing plenty of sweet raspberry and boysenberry fruit. Remarkably fresh. Intense black olive and anise notes on the finish. Really good now, but plenty of structure to age gracefully well into the future.
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2/29/2020 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
UWS Leap year dinner (@ CdW and KvdK): A lot of herbs and spiciness in the bouquet. Tea and leather as well. On the palate a rustic wine with earth and forest floor impressions. Full bodied and concentrated and beautiful.
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2/16/2020 - Vini Ciclismo Likes this wine: 94 Points
Perfect cork and level.
Medium wt colour, light rim.
Beautiful bright expressive fragrance, inky, smokey, licorice, black berries, plum, with a lifted floral blueberry scent.
Silky texture, very refined, seamless throughout, super fine tannins. Like a fine old Burgundy structurally but with a darker fruit profile and inky/spicy finish. Truly delicious and drinking perfectly.
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1/11/2020 - slanum wrote:
(KLWM purchase on release.) Crumbly cork; rancid wine.
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12/20/2019 - UTPK wrote:
In a nice place now. Mature but still a healthy tannic grip. Not a fruit bomb but rather complex for a Cornas. Will keep 10 years more.
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11/21/2019 - Anders Danielsen Lie Likes this wine: 91 Points
Svært rasetypisk på duft, røkt preg over kjølig frukt, mye sorte oliven. Myk og fin i munnen, ikke verst å lagre lenger.
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10/27/2019 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 94 Points
Dark purple. Reticent nose. Black cherry and ripe plum fruit. Plenty of fruit remains at this stage of maturation. Game, and heme notes on the finish. A terrific wine now with plenty of reserve to further improve.
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10/22/2019 - fcxj wrote: 92 Points
Touch rustic, but juicy if tannic on palate. Unadulterated old school.
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8/22/2019 - "Rhône Rider" Likes this wine: 96 Points
Svart kjerne med kant som ikke viser mye tegn til modning. Solbær, blåbær, kaffe og mineraler på nese. Kaffe, mineraler, blod og plomme i munn. Sinnsyk struktur, men likevel balanset. Evig lang. For å sitere Jeremy Clarkson: POWER! 96
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6/10/2019 - Nanda wrote: 95 Points
Clape Vertical (Table, Donkey & Stick - Chicago, IL): (magnum) A beaming, intense nose that has a wonderful core of black fruit with complexity from all angles -- earth, leather, feral funk. The palate round and plush with excellent brightness, verve and intensity. Fantastic. WOTN.
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6/10/2019 - acyso wrote: 95 Points
Case of the Clape (Chicago, IL): From magnum. This is the first bottle where we picked up some serial feral things going on. It's got that wild, animal thing going on in front of a backdrop of sweet black fruit. This feels far more primary, though there are definitely some nice matured elements here. Lots of syrah spice as well. The palate's got much of the same -- that wild thing and ripe black fruit, but the tannins feel less resolved than the 2004 (though that may well be the bottle size). Showing brilliantly, this probably edged out the 2010 as my wine of the night because of the extra maturity. I think in the long run the 2010 will probably be the better wine though.
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5/13/2019 - retired_and_roving wrote:
Rhone Dinner (Bobo): Following the '01 Jamet, the '01 Clape does not jump out of the glass for me. The aromatics are not very open. On the palate it is dark and dense with a lot of earth coming through. Perhaps this needed a decant to open up - and I did not have a chance to follow in my glass over a few hours.
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5/13/2019 - MC2 Wines wrote:
Rhone May Dinner (Bobo): Another bottle that came across as a bit muted on the initial pour although it opened up nicely through out the night. Lots of the blood and mineral notes. Tasty wine.
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3/29/2019 - beatles wrote: 92 Points
Decanted four hours, and this is slowly coming around; behind the gruff exterior and quite sauvage character lies a beutiful red fruit, so pure and clean. Give it another year or two, and this could really be singing, I think.
#FormelB
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3/18/2019 - alanr wrote: 93 Points
Lovely moderately dark fruit, slight raspberry note, excellent acidity, light tannins, more elegant though plenty of depth and flavor.
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2/13/2019 - peternelson wrote: 93 Points
spiced cherry, old macerated fruits, dusty tannins, meaty, tar, really like the character on this. Dirty Dozen N. Rhone at Taylors.
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1/6/2019 - UTPK Likes this wine:
8th bottle since released (last taste 6 years ago). The best so far, but needs to decant 3-4 hours in open caraffe. Great nose of green herbs, bacon, white pepper and some tertiary aromas perking through, ie forest floor, wet fur. Medium bodied. Rather elegant and not as forward as 2003 and not as good as the 1999, albeit the 1999 needs 10 more years. The 2001 is ready now if you decant long.
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1/6/2019 - pgb67 wrote: 89 Points
Holidays 2018 (Dogwood Grove): In honor of holy night, I pulled one of my oldest bottles from the cellar. Interesting, exotic, rustic. Enjoyable but somewhat lean and lacking some complexity. Spice, briney olive, cherry characteristics. In this lineup, its age maybe prevented it from standing out.
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11/22/2018 - Rani Does not like this wine: 85 Points
Tasted blind. Decanted for an hour, but too much burnt oak and reduction. Never really give any pleasure. Stark and stingy, and no discernible defect.
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7/27/2018 - Sovinator Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very closed and tight at first. Opened up nicely after 90 minute decant. I have had stunning vintages of Clape Cornas. This was just average to above average. Had some of the unique terroir and aroma profiles that can make this a stunning wine, but missing the complexity and depth of great vintages. But a very enjoyable and unique wine.
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6/20/2018 - fcxj wrote: 90 Points
Intense, raw and rustic.
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3/8/2018 - LW31 Likes this wine:
Compared to Verset and Allemand on table, this clearly a more muscular and robust style of Cornas, more traditional perhaps. But really excellent, structured and balanced. Fabulous with bbq lamb. Tightened up significantly after about 1 hr open.
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12/23/2017 - beatles wrote: 92 Points
Tasted over three days. Starts out very much like a medicine-cabinet, dental clinique in da house, but softens and broadens. the fruit is quite full and dark, it is very much a manly wine, roasted notes galore, chocolate and dark fruit, reminds me a bit of a les Bessards-wine. Still a young wine, only slowly coming together.
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10/27/2017 - Ericsson wrote: 90 Points
Bouteille et bouchon en parfaite condition.
Pas de passage en carafe, mais épaulé durant 90 minutes.
Couleur grenat orangé. Le nez est relativement retenu, arômes sur les olives, la terre, les cailloux.
En bouche, on sent une bonne matière, un peu vieillotte sans complexité. Acidité et astringence sont aussi de la partie.
Bon et sympa mais pas grand.
À boire sans tarder.
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10/16/2017 - fcxj wrote: 92 Points
Feral aromatics next to old Chapelle. Juicy and refreshing.
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7/9/2017 - Winevestor Likes this wine: 92 Points
A good wine. Normal reserved cornas taste with deep, brooding dark blue fruit, earth and coffee. It was not as good the second night. Can't say this is a pleasurable wine, but it is interesting and if you are in that mood, it a good sipping wine. Better with food.
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6/24/2017 - theRealPepe Likes this wine:
Drunk 10 days ago so no notes but it was really good, probably a couple points higher than the excellent CT 90.9 average. Glad to have one left.
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6/23/2017 - ledocq Likes this wine: 93 Points
Spectacular. Decanted a half hour before lunch, and thank goodness. My girlfriend loves vodka martinis, but only if they are basically Tito's and olive juice. That's the nose on this at first. It's like using a Vicks inhaler filled with green olive tapanade. After a while, it smooths out. Duck mousse and mustard as an appetizer was a smart idea. Will it continue to age? Dunno. My dining companion says he's had better vinages of this, but agrees that this was stunning. Great start to the weekend.
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4/27/2017 - aagrawal wrote: flawed
Northern Rhone Offline (Bar Agricole, San Francisco): Corked/TCA. Others thought heat damaged.
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1/23/2017 - Winevestor Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very interesting wine. Cornas Syrah is special. Austere wine, still with lots of tannin, deep blue fruit and tar. On the second day the first sip was amazing. It had opened right up and there was this big hit of bright blue fruit. A different wine on the two nights. Both good in their own way. You've got to like your wines austere, to enjoy a Clape cornas.
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11/12/2016 - AudunG wrote: 94 Points
Focused Syrah aromas with smoke, bacon, minerals, forest floor and some greenness. Focused and elegant mouth feeling. The wine gave a better impression now than two years ago. Great stuff!
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11/3/2016 - Neecies Likes this wine: 88 Points
Good, but while nose is big and wonderful with tons of tarry stuff, the palate's more muted, a bit hollow in the center. Should have decanted earlier.
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8/9/2016 - VDLT Wine Likes this wine:
Dinner with the Post guys (Chez Kimelman): A very good wine. It feel short of expectations but it might also have been my jet-lagged fatigue.
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5/17/2016 - rsbeck wrote:
This had fruit, but as the evening unfolded, this didn't. It seemed to recede into itself and become introverted. A bad bottle or just a temperamental phase?
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5/14/2016 - lozatron wrote: flawed
Cornas & St Joseph Dinner (Camino): Muted, too muted. I couldn't detect TCA but wonder if there was low level cork taint or some other fault. Shame.
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10/16/2015 - d'Artagnan wrote: 92 Points
Lunch "Grand vin du midi qui surprend" (au Quartier Général): Un joli nez d'olives et de fruit noir. Belle bouche assez ronde et d'une élégance étonnante pour l'appellation, c'est encore puissant mais ouvert et savoureux, excellent! Encore bon pour 15 ans...! 92 pts
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7/9/2015 - latimer Likes this wine: 90 Points
Deep red. Typical tarry syrah nose, ripe slightly confit fruit, earthy and quite meaty. Soft, quite mature now, very nice though not the minerality or power of a top Cornas. Surprisingly approachable now.
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5/21/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nose take a while to fully open up. Dark fruit, dusty, with faint mint, licorice and menthol in the background. Tannins still stick on the back of the palate. A well made Cornas with sufficient age, but lacks the refinement of a better vintage. Decanted for one hour, consumed over the following two.
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4/3/2015 - Vini Ciclismo Likes this wine: 94 Points
Easter with McG Family; 4/3/2015-4/5/2015 (Gerroa): Deep, rich, dark spice and black fruits, incredible intensity together with great silkiness. Beautiful balance and structure.
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3/15/2015 - beatles wrote:
Seems lesh fresh than the 2000 – something is wrong (with the 2001); Much, more evolved than expected, the color is leaning towards brown, the wine has softened, there is a sweet core here, lots of local character – it needs air of course, but it seems approachable from the get-go. I restrain from rating, as I do not think this is a representative bottle, will try another soon.
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8/16/2014 - AudunG wrote: 92 Points
Young, dark violet color. Typical Rhône aromas. Fresh fruit. Big, warm and concentrated. Could be mistaken for a structured C-d-P. Appears very young and might improve with cellaring.
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4/25/2014 - P&L Report Likes this wine: 91 Points
When the glass filled with this inky deep garnet syrah, we knew we were in for something special in spite of the fact there was wine that had leaked out and stained the label, precipitating our opening the bottle. At first sniff, half of this team discerned mushrooms, earthiness, and dust. The other half took in aromas of savoury cheese rind and lead pencil. With time, hints of macerated black olives, dried herbs and a touch of tart pomegranate came to the fore with a long finish and soft tannins. We drank this robust yet elegant wine with braised beef oxtail in a black olive sauce. Un plaisir a boire.
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1/30/2014 - godx wrote: 91 Points
Northern Rhone Dinner Part 3 - Cornas (Vancouver, BC): Okay, now we're in the zone. Salty and savory nose with lighter black fruits and quite a bit of elegance on the palate that's back by firm structure. Very long on the finish. A good time to check in on this but ultimately this needs a few more years. Excellent. 91+
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1/11/2014 - Philippe_C wrote: 87 Points
Nose of coccinelles, green peperonis, dusty... unripe tannins, green peperonis... not my style of wine!
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9/2/2013 - Hodby wrote: 90 Points
Dark red-violet. Aroma slow to develop, but with four hours there's some tapenade, coffee grounds, cherry, menthol, dust. Firm tannin and firm acidity. Flavor development since release is negligible; this drinks like a four year old Clape Cornas. Very promising for future development and for enjoyment along a long aging curve, but I'm waiting a couple more years - at least (!) - before opening another. Bottle #3 of twelve.
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5/26/2013 - PIntag wrote: flawed
After one taste, guessed that this was oxidized. Sure enough, I inspected the cork and there as a leak all the way through the length of the cork. Shame.
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3/30/2013 - diggydan wrote: 93 Points
A beautiful, dark and opaque purple (with much fine sediment). The nose is pure Syrah, olives, meat, and dark fruit. Ripe sweet fruit on the attack, a stiff savory backbone in the mid-palate, and finishes long with grippy but soft tannins. The real beauty of this wine is the voluptuousness of the body, the richness of the mouthfeel, the forcefulness of the grapes, all without a bit of sharpness, rusticity, or a mis-sung note. If this isn't the Burgundian iron fist in a velvet glove, I don't know what is!
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1/6/2013 - brl75 Likes this wine:
Was still very tight on the nose...should have waited. Delicious, though.
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10/21/2012 - Wine Canuck wrote: 91 Points
Absolutely prototypical northern rhone drinking at prime. Nose of black olives, capers, creosote, blackberry. Palate is still lush and structured, but starting to integrate. Quite a lovely and pleasurable wine to drink.
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4/23/2012 - UTPK wrote:
Classic and pure nose of Syrah, i.e. meat, green herbs, bacon. More open then the last bottle a year ago. Lasted for three days without oxidizing. Quite full bodied with a sweet attack and very harmonious mid-palate. Fresh and succulent finish with ripe tannins. The tannins had come more in tha background. Very good bottle of Cornas.
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1/11/2012 - Vini Ciclismo Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep dark spicey, fruit driven, lovely creamy spice, very fine tannins, lightly meaty nose, gorgeous plum and licorice, very well balanced.
[willi's paris]
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11/12/2011 - markjanes wrote:
Massive wine for Clape... even more massively shut down right now... several hours of decanting did nothing. Don't touch for at least 3 years.
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8/28/2011 - spillwine wrote: 91 Points
Magnifique, encore meilleur après 24 heures d'oxygène.
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6/27/2011 - chbeaumont wrote: 92 Points
Very dark core; tarry, tight as a drum; tannic, full bodied; tremendous depth. Needs 10 years. 17 but more to come.
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3/28/2011 - darvid wrote:
Clape Cornas Vertical (RN74, San Francisco): The first vintage to show much color maturity. Fatter and softer than the 2004 but still cool and in balance. On the finish, spreading, powdery tannins and a small twinge of bitterness - last vestige of stems that haven't melted into the whole. This was lovely with the duck course, but marked by a level of brett that some found objectionable.
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9/1/2010 - AMRS wrote: 91 Points
@ Cafe Italia (Noam's): Tasted blind, I was sure it was a CDP.
Dark fruits on the deep nose, sweet ripe prunes, earthy and herbal. On the palate full and concentrated, sweet, warm, but not overripe. This probably needs time to show the more typical side of it. Drink from 2015 to who knows. myscore 91 now, 93-94 potential.
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8/17/2010 - Zweder wrote: 90 Points
Beautiful expressive bouquet which already shows some development. A lot of herbs and spices as well as forest fruits in the bouquet as well as the taste. High but good acidity. Is still developing in the glass.
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8/7/2010 - beatles wrote: 91 Points
I am somewhat puzzled with this wine. Decanted for two hours and enjoyed over the following three, it started out with af classic, full Clape/Cornas/Syrah nose of olives, dark fruit etc. Still very tannic, a real masculin and not really very friendly wine. It opened up during the tasting peirod, but the fruit seemed to weaken rather than strengthen ... a strange wine, maybe in an odd stage. I will look again in three years or so, hope it will be better, but the (+) indicates my faith in Clape in general ...
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5/19/2010 - WildeMeeuw wrote: 91 Points
2001 Domaine Auguste Clape Corna (Frankrijk, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas) Kleur: Robijnrood, diepe kleur Aroma / bouquet: Prachtige complexe neus, snuffelwijn: donker fruit, kruidigheid, laurier, rozemarijn, pepertje, beetje gedroogd fruit. Smaak / Afdronk: Complex maar verfijnd, friszuur, veel materie, krachtige tannines, uitgesproken bitter, laurier-dropjes, droog maar voldoende sappig. Enorme lengte. Algemeen / potentieel: 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 11 + Smaak / Afdronk: 17 + Algemeen / potentieel: 8 = 91/100
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4/24/2010 - UTPK wrote:
Typical Clape nose of green herbs, sour cream, and some raw meat/bacon. Quite sweet attack, medium weight and a bit astringent finish. The tannins are still quite hard and it will benefit from another 5-10 years in bottle.
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3/5/2010 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 90 Points
Drank as a contrast to the binge of Aussie shiraz drank this week as part of a cellar spring cleaning. Throwing off huge sediment. Decanted, and drunk over 3 hours. Plenty of the meat and black olive flavors noted by others- also got a whiff of almost a lavender-like component. Initial impression was this and weak, but then mid-palate and finish produce ripe fruit flavors with stiff tannins. This will age gracefully for many years.
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8/28/2009 - Zweder wrote: 90 Points
A lot of primary aromas, mostly cherries. In the mouth the same, but in a beautiful way. Also red and dark forest fruits. A lot of bitterness and young but good tannin.. It is a beauty alright, but give it another 3+ years.
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3/8/2009 - hfindlay wrote: 92 Points
Mouth-watering aromas of green olives and black fruit. A huge syrah, rich, maybe a little monolithic, but with distinct olive and grilled meat characteristics. The clear favorite at the table, where we enjoyed it with homemade pasta and red sauce with sausage.
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2/20/2009 - dmbaggett wrote: 80 Points
Disappointing. Thin red color, very little fruit left; very little flavor profile of any kind. Olive-inflected nose. Previous bottle was corked; maybe this is a bad case?
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11/9/2008 - Mike Saddington wrote: 85 Points
Red, flat, and boring, what a disappointment.
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10/2/2008 - AtoZ wrote: 91 Points
I got a distinct whiff and taste of white truffle that D did not notice at all. Big tannic wine. Fruit might not last beyong the tannins but it's a nice tasting syrah for me right now.
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12/25/2007 - ccn wrote: flawed
Bottle was off. Not corked, but some very funky things happening with acidity here.
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10/2/2007 - 60ouvrees wrote:
This is already drinking pretty well but no question it will be much better in another five years.
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5/16/2007 - Siggy wrote:
2007 France Trip - Hauts Chassis, Duclaux, Dumaine, Clape (Northern Rhone): From 375ml. Enticing nose. Dark fruit, minerals, and smoky black olives. Great structure and minerality. Still very young.
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1/16/2007 - 60ouvrees wrote:
This wine has it all - incredibly sexy nose filled with blueberry, black olive and smoke. Tannins and acidity are perfectly integrated and the length is phenomonal. Will last forever.
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1/9/2007 - br wrote:
deep color, no signs of aging. big, mouthful of wine w/meat, tar, olives and deep fruit, loads of balanced acid and chalky tannins. this is the real deal, full of character and quality and is going to be a treat as it ages.
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1/4/2007 - Myownscale wrote: 83 Points
Nose:
Floral- Specific, vanilla, some dark fruits (currart/cassis)
Palate:
Wood Dark fruits, tight, lots of tannin
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2/19/2006 - evanbaines wrote: 90 Points
Decanted 5 hrs and served with braised short ribs. Tight as a drum, but obviously well balanced and made of the stuffing to go the distance. I'd love to re-visit this wine again in about 10 years, as I suspect tonights score has five points of upside.
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12/24/2005 - JMav wrote:
solid nose of meatiness, red/black fruits, slight earthiness. completely closed for business on the palate, showing zero, zilch, nada. 2nd day did virtually nothing. let this puppy sit for a long, long time.. i have a good feeling about it. the '00 is great to drink while you wait. NR
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11/8/2004 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
I don't often comment on colour but this thing was a real deep purple with dark blue and inky hues, it looked like a bruise and was a bruiser of a wine. The nose was a wonderful mix of brooding dark fruits, licorice,lavender, passionfruit skins and tar. The palate had an initial sweet attack with lashings of blueberry and spicy dark plum fruits. Once the rich, vinous liquid rolls around in the mouth a bit it becomes evident that this isn't your normal styled Cornas. There is huge amounts of dry extract, totally evaporating every last bit of saliva in the mouth. This wine, with all it's astringency, is way too young to enjoy now but will be an absolute beauty given 10+ years in the cellar.
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11/5/2004 - otisabdul wrote: 88 Points
2004 WS Wine Experience: Syrah/Shiraz Tasting (Hyatt Regency, Chicago): Represented on the dais by owner Pierre Clape. Made from 3 vineyard parcels on steep hills in the Northern Rhone. 100% syrah, unfiltered and aged 22 months in old casks, never in new oak. Average age of the vines is 30 to 60 years old. “Cornas makes tannic wines that keep a long time”. Dark ruby color. Blackberry, mustard seed, and dill aromas. Rhubarb, plum, and dried herbal flavors, but seemed to lack complexity. PHM said that “this is a syrah that is unfettered from the mocha and vanilla of new oak, without the rusticity of most Cornas wines.” Steiman disagreed. He thought it was quite rustic. $63.
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11/1/2004 - winefool wrote: 92 Points
Deep black/purple color. Big spicy aroma of olive, earth, briar, and black fruit. Big bold blackcurrent fruit on a sturdy tannic frame. Complex flavors of gamy meat. Medium long finish. 11/04
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