Chef's Night (Craig & Nita's Place): Very dark red color. PNP, drank a glass over an hour plus. Loved this; high toned and funky, damp and dank earthy notes slowly emerge, there's almost some putrification notes (in a good way), dark cherry, fresh herbs, naugahyde. The palate really shows the fruit, cherry and currants, gravel, wood tones, lacquer, medium full body. Drinking well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Shared cooking duties with 5 close buddies each doing a course at our place. Thankfully, Nita helped keep me on track. CV,DM,LI,KB,LS & BB. Super relaxing fun night! Leo wine tonight and very classic Cornas and satisfying.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I know Clape Cornas back to 1977 and this is one of the great ones. The nose shows smoky, stony aromas typical of Cornas. The mouth is round and smooth with density and dark fruits, plus some minerality. The tannins are (to me) not disturbing at this point and will help to keep this wine in top form for decades.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
First impression: Very interesting showing a wee bit richer than other vintages, smooth, almost creamy, dense, yes, very young, but approachable. Tightens up, get's vraiment Cornas, stony, cool, vertical. PB loved this.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Clape Cornas is a real go to for me. I understand why people don't like Clape and I am glad, because it means more for me.
I didn't decant this and the note is made at about the 6 hours open mark. Early on it was marked by strong olive characters and plum fruits, plus a bit of trademark Clape stink. The olives largely disappear after about 2-3 hours and around 5 hours the wine is really starting to open up and boy is it humming. Now we have earthy, leathery elements (some will hate this), dark plums, pepper, a hint of orange zest and even some floral elements. The nose is Nirvana.
The palate probably doesn't quite deliver to the level of the nose. There is a slight sourness and some slightly bitter tannins - again, some people will find themselves unable to get past this. I love the complexity, the mix of orange zest, plum and pepper with hints of leather.
Ultimately, this is a slightly flawed wine, yet it doesn't really matter to me because what is good is so good. You won't easily get this level of complexity in any wine. Being a lesser year it also represents really good value for money. A real delight.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Marc's Bday @ Totoraku (Totoraku): A bit clunkier and rougher around the edges than the elegant Allemand we had side by side, but that didn’t make this anything less than a stellar wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Big, syrah from Northern Rhône. Nose with leather, ink, autumn leafs and beef. Sweet black fruit on the palate. Not just power like the Shiraz' from down under. This has more freshness and finesse.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
In every vintage, Clape seeks to maintain rusticity. As if the wine had been made by a gifted amateur, it is all over the place: wild aromas of composted purple flowers, bell peppers, parchment, fireplace ash, and fresh roses. Concentrated and balanced, this syrah is ripe, but not sweet, and rich, but not heavy. There is a mild cigar wrapper flavor from mid palate to finish. Plenty of black currant and blackberry fruit, integrated tannins, a hint of milk chocolate and edgy acidity that prevents palate fatigue. Paired nicely with stir fried cumin and szechuan lamb tenderloin w onions and peppers. This will evolve and likely improve over 5 years, and drink beautifully for 20. Benefits from a 1 hour decant.
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
au restaurant chez les anges : relativement déçu par rapport à la première dégustation il y a quelques années, il m'a semblé assez vert, l'aspect vendanges entières, et à l'aveugle j'aurais cru un vin de loire... malgré tout il possède un beau bouquet, des tanins droits et une vraie finesse
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Smoky like the air in Seattle. Smoked meat, olive, dark fruit. Really intoxicating on the nose, can just smell it all day. On the palate there's some bottle variation / flaw I believe. Unusally high acidity, with a bread/yeastiness on the back end that detracts from the finish. With food it probably will mask the palate, and the nose will win out.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From Coravin. Whole bunch ashiness married to blackberry, dusty crushed rocks, graphite, earth, a little liquorice and some black sour snake sweets. With time the fruit sweetens. It's juicy and savoury with that ashy note, blackberry, earth, the liquorice note, less sour here. Tannins are drying but in balance with the fruit and the acid. Nice. Plenty of time to wait.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Herbaceous, almost green. Fairly accessible structure, typical for the vintage, but tight, brooding fruit. This needs time but not sure it has the stuffing to wait.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bu au Chaudron à Tournon. De mémoire un nez très ouvert sur les épices et les herbes aromatiques. La bouche offre déjà une belle maturité, avec des tanins déliés et soyeux. Grande complexité, beaucoup de longueur et de la race, bref un grand vin !
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I'm not seeing the same wine as these reviews before mine. My comment would be DO NOT OPEN THIS WINE NOW. It is closed up tight. Hard as nails. Maybe I just like my wines with more age. Primary, shiny fruit and hardcore structure. Doesn't even say Northern Rhone to me right now. More patience is needed. Or maybe 11 just isn't great.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
I like the 'lesser' vintages. The show more finesse than power. Needs time and the wine is better on day two (outside the fridge). Bayleaf, spices, herbs and ripe black fruit. Great, deep, complex.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
24 Oct 2019, 5:20PM Well stored. Cork perfect. Decanted until smoke showed which left a glass in the bottle. Dusty nose of intense blackberry. The dust was pretty obvious. Beautiful pure nose of blackberry, ripe plums, cherries, touch of smoke. Palate was big and rich with mushroomy blackberry with intense spices. There was a current undertone. Just loved that flavor. The spice was big and long. Really enjoyed this. Such a fantastic wine. Dry, mouth coating tannins, of purity. I could taste the heat of the hills. It finished really dry and long with purple lingering spices. See, this is the difference between the natural burn of wine acids with the added mouth burning of added acids. I can really taste the difference. In the aftertaste some anise peeked through.
6:29pm. Muted and more subdued from its original fruit it smells of more closed down tertiary notes of earth and mushrooms with burnt earth. On the palate it has more earthen deliciousness with truffles and a candy taste with violets. OMG delish.
7:10pm Dark, brooding, black earth, tastes like it’s from the underworld with a touch of joy of candied flowers. Just beautiful, but way below the 2015, which is godly!
Expected to love this wine but found it surprisingly dried out for such a young wine. Rich and sweet attack but faded on the mid and finish. . Surprised and disappointed..... faulty?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was more muted than some years of the wine which to me is a good thing. Often I find the oak a bit overpowering with this producer. Less so here although it's still there. A bit of that barnyard and all of that.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep ruby. Not a slight wine by any means, but the lightest of the 2011-2013 vintages poured tonight. The weedier, more herbaceous side of Syrah. Fine now, but I doubt it has enough fruit to carry it forward over the long term.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
beautiful syrah, decanted and drank over 3 hours, the nose shows pepper, Matcha, cherry concentrate and flowers, big tannin and structure, but perfectly balanced, fresh acidity, seamless, raspberry, spices, herbs, tea and stony mineral grip the palate then squeeze the salivary glands tightly, mouthwatering and lifted, already excellent, and this might still be sleeping... cellar potential is high
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Late night pop n' pour off of the Del Friscos list. We chose this over the 2012 thinking it would be more approachable with minimal air, I think that was the right call. By no means ready or showing it's best stuff, but thoroughly enjoyable and typical Cornas. Lots of rustic black fruit with some green olive and a distinct meatiness (smoke and braised meat). Good concentration and muscle for a 2011. I suspect bottle age will smooth out the rough rusticity and add complexity. This will be a long-lived wine.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Coravin fun - new arrivals (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. I wonder...it feels like a little bit of stalks and some whole berry, beautifully balanced, fleshy fresh blackberries, some talc textured tannin, still primary but beginning to slough off that puppy fat quality. Very pleasant indeed.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
So different from last bottle - don’t know why. maybe better decant ? Loved it (a while ago unfortunately) big, balanced, complex, lovely fruit. Wow this definitely makes you think yup to northern Rhone
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dinner at Margeaux Brasserie (Chicago, IL): This is in an intermediate phase right now, where this is mostly primary, but where you also know that those primary characteristics are starting to taper off. The black fruit here is classic Cornas, and there's a green spiciness to this that's actually a little different from the other Clapes I've had. The palate is nice and rich with black fruit, and again that green spice. It's clearly not yet ready on the palate, with a pretty tight tannic structure still. I think rule of 15 is pretty reasonable for this wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nose - black pepper, cassis , tobacco, Sweet earth Mouth - velvety mouthfeel, suave, black pepper, olive with a deep dark rich almost brooding core. Really good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Robe violet dense; Nez en fraîcheur, les olives noires & les fleurs sont perceptibles dès le départ. Les petits fruits foncés (mûres & cerises foncés) & les épices prennent plus de place avec le temps. Il y a un aspect d'épices vertes (thym & romarin) qui apportent de fraîcheur à l'ensemble. Beau bouquet, dense & élégant. Bouche dense en attaque, principalement sur les petits fruits foncés, petite touche sauvage, tout en fraîcheur. Tannins fins & bien intégré. Superbe balance apportée par l'acidité. Longue finale, principalement sur le poivre & la pierre concassé. Toute en élégance malgré la richesse & densité des arômes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Popped and Decanted for a couple of hrs. This could have used a few more years of cellaring but wow, the complexity on both the nose and palate is mesmerizing. We had this alongside a 08 Anderson Valley Syrah and the darker fruits and just the weight of the wine powered through the night. Just a fantastic drinking experience but holding this for a few years would be better.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Too young, but great potential. Thick texture, almost jammy. Luckily there is a good acidity counterbalancing this jammy sensation. Aromas of dried plums, medicinal herbs, roasted figs, vanilla. Long on the palate but quite compact and monolithic. Let it age for at least 4/5 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
as soon as the it was poured i thought the glass was going to break high energy! and razor like cut dried herbs in the mediterranean sun. too young in the mouth overall superb
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
My wife loves Syrah and CdP. For me they tend to be a bit bold and brash at times. However, this Cornas is balanced, great fruit, well integrated tannins and sufficient acidity for the long haul. Typical dark garnet color with medium legs. Nose of black fruit and a hint of lighter red fruit. Mouth feel was medium with silkiness into a long finish. Unfortunately it is way too young but good to experience it now knowing it will be around for a while.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The perfect combination of power and elegance. Flowers, meat and crushed rock lies ontop beautiful syrah fruit. Fine, powdery tannins. Nothing rustic about this. Surely loads of potential for the future, but utterly delicious and drinkable today.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
94+ Lila Rot Eiche,Rauch,schwarzfruchtig.Leder.Zusammenspiel verschiedenster Aromen.Süssliches Cassis im Hintergrund,zwischendurch Lakritze,Trüffel auch erdig. Faszinierendes Spektrum,sehr komplex,aber auch leicht burschikos,viel Charakter. Gute Säure,dicht,noch leicht prägend,aber Gerbstoffe doch schon recht gut integriert,zwischendurch samtig. Wird noch dunkelfruchtiger,erdiger,würziger,zwischendurch Kümmel. Langer leicht prägend,dunkelfruchtiger Abgang. Viel Eigenständigkeit/Charakter ,viel Substanz und auf dem Weg zu einem grossen Wein.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Purchased this bottle in Paris back in March and waited a few months for bottle shock. Decanted three hours ahead of a feast of seared smoky BBQ pork loin, chicken, roasted garlic potatoes, asparagus, and watermelon feta salad. Sappy, purple, cloudy Crimson. The nose is concentrated and extraordinary, bringing fresh cut violets, roses, lavender, cherry blossoms, spearmint, white pepper, dried herbs, smoked bacon, sweet cherry tobacco, campfire, and candied raspberries. The palate is medium-full, square, broad, and juicy, bringing loads of Manhattan cherries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, sweet tobacco, horse saddle, charcoal, motor oil, dried herbs, roasted garlic, and nice candied strawberries into the finish, which lasts 45-seconds with good weight and thick yet delicate tannins. Drinking good now but this will evolve into all kinds of wonderful things in the decades ahead. Drink through 2040.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
This puppy has got some character! Pronounced Northern Rhone notes of cracked black pepper and cloves but then also a huge personality of red berry flavours, almost strawberry-yoghurt, a bright red berry profile, but it didn't seem like malo-yoghurt - it really felt like just the character of the wine and terroir and not something winemaking related. I suppose you could call it floral; lillacs, lillies, lavender. Very intense. It doesn't sound that unique in writing, but it really was. This should be easy to identify blind as it really has a character dissimilar to most other wines, even from the Northern Rhone. Then of course a rather tight, youthful structure with present acidity and quite some tannins to let you know that this is Syrah and France. Highly enjoyed this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened approximately 1.5 hours prior to serving. The nose was very pretty, with smoked meat and plums, blackberry, and garrigue. Also unfortunately some nail polish remover showed up and did a lot to mute what I think could have been an even more expressive nose. On the palate it was beautiful though, with tart black and red fruit, leather, spicy white pepper and dusty herbs. There's awesome acidity here as well as ample tanning, but this didn't feel too young at all. A lengthy, tapering finish was a great touch on a delicious bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Black and concentrated with a purple rim. After 2 hours the nose was not open at all. After being quite restricted in the beginning, more air brings bright, clean fruit with blackberries, meat, almost violent tannins and a mouth-filling, endless aftertaste. Far from being mature or drinking-ready, give it at least 5 years or maybe even better: a decade. Despite not being from the best vintage, this wine has a truely huge potential if you have the patience. 94-95 p
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Klar, dyp rød med innslag av blått. Dyp, elegant og innsmigrende nese med mørke, røde bær, blåbær, einer og mild krekling. Dyp, konsentrert, strukturert og bestemt frukt med nydelig fokus. Syrefrisk og med milde, men faste tanniner. Tørr utgang med nydelig lengde. Trenger lang tid i kjelleren.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Youthful, intense, complex and extremely pure nose. Blackberries, raw meat, freshly grounded black pepper, smoke and hyacinth. A school book example of very high quality Syrah. I could smell this forever.
The first thing that struck me was the exceptional balance to this wine! Everything is just in a perfect harmony. Very young and a liiiittle tight on the palate. Blackberries, meat, violets, black pepper and dark plums on the palate. Medium+ ripe tannins, body and acidity. The finish is complex and very long.
Today this is an outstanding wine but will get even better with aging. This is high fucking quality.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The invocation is on the vanguard and all senses hail to this exquisite beauty. I decanted for three hours. Strawberry and rhubarb pie, black-peppered bacon, lilies, hot brick, rain and red licorice. extremely indicative of the terroir in richness and balance, with agility that is exacting. Time will tell, and tell, and tell... More traditional than the last two mesmerizing, riveting vintages, with every edge polished and silky. The perfect acidity. Drink 2016 -.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
See: deep ruby purple, M+ … less intense compared to the 2010.
Smell: Intense right out of the bottle. Delineated, Has that Auguste Clape fingerprint of bay laurel, sage, tobacco, smoke, leather, cheese rind, blackberry, blueberry compote, bacon, cedar. Nose = 96-98 points, for sure. It's gorgeous and definitely competes with the 2010.
Taste: M+ body, seems to be lacking a little intensity on the midpalate at the moment; the flavors seem a bit loose. M+ muscular tannins. m/m+ acidity. Blueberry. Spice. Huge, long irony finish (long) with more bay laurel and cedar. Palate at this point is 92, doesn't have the depth of the 2010.
93+ points.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted and poured, this wine gave an excellent showing; however, the wine does give a sense of leanness on the palate that detracts from the overall impression. The expressive aromatics show red fruit that evolves to a more black fruit profile with airing, herb, black olive, black pepper and stone. The color is a youthful dark ruby to purple. The medium / full bodied palate shows balance and structure on a leaner frame with a medium length finish. The finish shows firm tannins and acidity. This wine benefit from bottle and evolved with airing. This wine should benefit from additional bottle age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
!!!!!!!!! Exceptionnel. Nez d'une concentration inouïe en fruits, très charmeur... certains vont hurler en lisant ça, mais le nez rappelle presque les grands morgon d'années ensoleillées... La bouche est impeccable, digeste, les tanins présents mais pas rustiques pour autant, on arrête pas de se resservir, magnifique.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wow! This is a stunning effort from Auguste Clape. This wine is the definition of bottled elegance. The wine gives a perfectly clean and very nuanced impression with clean fruit, wet stone, a whiff of black pepper, raw meat and profound minerals. The palate follows through nicely with perfect integration and balance, but you can certainly feel the power luring behind the facade of perfection and elegance. There is no doubt this is one of the Grand Vins from Northern Rhône and despite being somewhat of a 'difficult' vintage, this effort delivers an abundance of true pleasure!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
France 2013 – Northern Rhone; 4/17/2013-4/19/2013 (Ampuis): Tasted at the Domaine. From barrel (final blend). A deeper and less high toned nose than the 2011 Renaissance with raspberry and classic syrah fruit. Big structure on the palate with extremely firm tannins. Despite those tannins, the mouthfeel is quite polished and has already come together nicely. This is will be great but hands off for 10-15 years. (92-94+).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
1/14/2024 - Pascal Likes this wine: 90 Points
A souffert de la comparaison avec un Grande des Pères 2013 (95) mais ce Cornas reste un très bon vin, prêt à boire.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/17/2023 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
Chef's Night (Craig & Nita's Place): Very dark red color. PNP, drank a glass over an hour plus. Loved this; high toned and funky, damp and dank earthy notes slowly emerge, there's almost some putrification notes (in a good way), dark cherry, fresh herbs, naugahyde. The palate really shows the fruit, cherry and currants, gravel, wood tones, lacquer, medium full body. Drinking well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/17/2023 - chablis28 wrote: 92 Points
Shared cooking duties with 5 close buddies each doing a course at our place. Thankfully, Nita helped keep me on track. CV,DM,LI,KB,LS & BB. Super relaxing fun night! Leo wine tonight and very classic Cornas and satisfying.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/27/2022 - cfk49 wrote: 95 Points
I know Clape Cornas back to 1977 and this is one of the great ones. The nose shows smoky, stony aromas typical of Cornas. The mouth is round and smooth with density and dark fruits, plus some minerality. The tannins are (to me) not disturbing at this point and will help to keep this wine in top form for decades.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/28/2022 - beatles wrote: 94 Points
First impression: Very interesting showing a wee bit richer than other vintages, smooth, almost creamy, dense, yes, very young, but approachable. Tightens up, get's vraiment Cornas, stony, cool, vertical. PB loved this.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/24/2021 - MWiking wrote: 94 Points
ingen favorit producent men detta är den bästa Clape jag provat. Riktigt skön mognad och fina granittoner
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/15/2021 - Rote Kappelle Likes this wine: 94 Points
Clape Cornas is a real go to for me. I understand why people don't like Clape and I am glad, because it means more for me.
I didn't decant this and the note is made at about the 6 hours open mark. Early on it was marked by strong olive characters and plum fruits, plus a bit of trademark Clape stink. The olives largely disappear after about 2-3 hours and around 5 hours the wine is really starting to open up and boy is it humming. Now we have earthy, leathery elements (some will hate this), dark plums, pepper, a hint of orange zest and even some floral elements. The nose is Nirvana.
The palate probably doesn't quite deliver to the level of the nose. There is a slight sourness and some slightly bitter tannins - again, some people will find themselves unable to get past this. I love the complexity, the mix of orange zest, plum and pepper with hints of leather.
Ultimately, this is a slightly flawed wine, yet it doesn't really matter to me because what is good is so good. You won't easily get this level of complexity in any wine. Being a lesser year it also represents really good value for money. A real delight.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/11/2021 - tcarter Likes this wine: 97 Points
Marc's Bday @ Totoraku (Totoraku): A bit clunkier and rougher around the edges than the elegant Allemand we had side by side, but that didn’t make this anything less than a stellar wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/28/2021 - Kriz wrote: 93 Points
Big, syrah from Northern Rhône. Nose with leather, ink, autumn leafs and beef. Sweet black fruit on the palate. Not just power like the Shiraz' from down under. This has more freshness and finesse.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/26/2021 - pkouchu wrote: 93 Points
meat, wild blackberry, tobacco, pepper, mushrooms, earth, raspberry, tea and dried savory herbs.
Fruit isn't as potent as other years, but the finesse is there. Still tight upon opening, but opens nicely around 3-4 hours later
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/8/2020 - OenoEd Likes this wine: 94 Points
In every vintage, Clape seeks to maintain rusticity. As if the wine had been made by a gifted amateur, it is all over the place: wild aromas of composted purple flowers, bell peppers, parchment, fireplace ash, and fresh roses. Concentrated and balanced, this syrah is ripe, but not sweet, and rich, but not heavy. There is a mild cigar wrapper flavor from mid palate to finish. Plenty of black currant and blackberry fruit, integrated tannins, a hint of milk chocolate and edgy acidity that prevents palate fatigue. Paired nicely with stir fried cumin and szechuan lamb tenderloin w onions and peppers. This will evolve and likely improve over 5 years, and drink beautifully for 20. Benefits from a 1 hour decant.
5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/5/2020 - Pascal Likes this wine: 93 Points
Un nez sur l'olive. Une bouche sèche avec un fruit discret et des herbes de Provence à profusion.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/9/2020 - sebastienjm wrote: 92 Points
au restaurant chez les anges :
relativement déçu par rapport à la première dégustation il y a quelques années, il m'a semblé assez vert, l'aspect vendanges entières, et à l'aveugle j'aurais cru un vin de loire... malgré tout il possède un beau bouquet, des tanins droits et une vraie finesse
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/18/2020 - mye wrote:
Smoky like the air in Seattle. Smoked meat, olive, dark fruit. Really intoxicating on the nose, can just smell it all day. On the palate there's some bottle variation / flaw I believe. Unusally high acidity, with a bread/yeastiness on the back end that detracts from the finish. With food it probably will mask the palate, and the nose will win out.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/31/2020 - blisscompound Likes this wine: 92 Points
Can you handle it young is the real question at this point ⚡️
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/31/2020 - chatters wrote:
From Coravin. Whole bunch ashiness married to blackberry, dusty crushed rocks, graphite, earth, a little liquorice and some black sour snake sweets. With time the fruit sweetens. It's juicy and savoury with that ashy note, blackberry, earth, the liquorice note, less sour here. Tannins are drying but in balance with the fruit and the acid. Nice. Plenty of time to wait.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/28/2020 - rlove wrote: 90 Points
Herbaceous, almost green. Fairly accessible structure, typical for the vintage, but tight, brooding fruit. This needs time but not sure it has the stuffing to wait.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/9/2020 - hajoha wrote: 90 Points
Clape Cornas 11.
Mange hakk ned fra 10.
Noe rustikk med mye bitterstoffer.
Trenger tid...? 90p
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/3/2020 - Jeanda wrote: 95 Points
Bu au Chaudron à Tournon. De mémoire un nez très ouvert sur les épices et les herbes aromatiques. La bouche offre déjà une belle maturité, avec des tanins déliés et soyeux. Grande complexité, beaucoup de longueur et de la race, bref un grand vin !
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/11/2020 - viper_city Likes this wine: 98 Points
Incredible. Buy this wine. Drink a bottle now. What a great experience.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/5/2019 - decaturwinedude wrote:
I'm not seeing the same wine as these reviews before mine. My comment would be DO NOT OPEN THIS WINE NOW. It is closed up tight. Hard as nails. Maybe I just like my wines with more age. Primary, shiny fruit and hardcore structure. Doesn't even say Northern Rhone to me right now. More patience is needed. Or maybe 11 just isn't great.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/23/2019 - Kriz wrote: 92 Points
I like the 'lesser' vintages. The show more finesse than power. Needs time and the wine is better on day two (outside the fridge). Bayleaf, spices, herbs and ripe black fruit. Great, deep, complex.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/28/2019 - Fractalage Likes this wine: 95 Points
24 Oct 2019, 5:20PM
Well stored. Cork perfect. Decanted until smoke showed which left a glass in the bottle.
Dusty nose of intense blackberry. The dust was pretty obvious. Beautiful pure nose of blackberry, ripe plums, cherries, touch of smoke.
Palate was big and rich with mushroomy blackberry with intense spices. There was a current undertone. Just loved that flavor. The spice was big and long. Really enjoyed this.
Such a fantastic wine. Dry, mouth coating tannins, of purity. I could taste the heat of the hills. It finished really dry and long with purple lingering spices.
See, this is the difference between the natural burn of wine acids with the added mouth burning of added acids. I can really taste the difference.
In the aftertaste some anise peeked through.
6:29pm.
Muted and more subdued from its original fruit it smells of more closed down tertiary notes of earth and mushrooms with burnt earth.
On the palate it has more earthen deliciousness with truffles and a candy taste with violets. OMG delish.
7:10pm
Dark, brooding, black earth, tastes like it’s from the underworld with a touch of joy of candied flowers. Just beautiful, but way below the 2015, which is godly!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (1)
10/6/2019 - Philip67 wrote: 89 Points
Expected to love this wine but found it surprisingly dried out for such a young wine. Rich and sweet attack but faded on the mid and finish. . Surprised and disappointed..... faulty?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/23/2019 - MC2 Wines wrote:
This was more muted than some years of the wine which to me is a good thing. Often I find the oak a bit overpowering with this producer. Less so here although it's still there. A bit of that barnyard and all of that.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/22/2019 - drwine2001 wrote:
Deep ruby. Not a slight wine by any means, but the lightest of the 2011-2013 vintages poured tonight. The weedier, more herbaceous side of Syrah. Fine now, but I doubt it has enough fruit to carry it forward over the long term.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/7/2019 - marshalc Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still on its way up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/10/2019 - whits Likes this wine: 94 Points
beautiful syrah, decanted and drank over 3 hours, the nose shows pepper, Matcha, cherry concentrate and flowers, big tannin and structure, but perfectly balanced, fresh acidity, seamless, raspberry, spices, herbs, tea and stony mineral grip the palate then squeeze the salivary glands tightly, mouthwatering and lifted, already excellent, and this might still be sleeping... cellar potential is high
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/8/2019 - hprphf wrote: 91 Points
Zachy's La Paulee 2019 (Le Bernardin Prive): Fresh, exotic, medical with concentration. Flat on the palate. 91
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/27/2018 - Nanda wrote: 93 Points
Late night pop n' pour off of the Del Friscos list. We chose this over the 2012 thinking it would be more approachable with minimal air, I think that was the right call. By no means ready or showing it's best stuff, but thoroughly enjoyable and typical Cornas. Lots of rustic black fruit with some green olive and a distinct meatiness (smoke and braised meat). Good concentration and muscle for a 2011. I suspect bottle age will smooth out the rough rusticity and add complexity. This will be a long-lived wine.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/30/2018 - Kriz Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is thé Rhone benchmark.
Great wine, great expression of syrah and northern Rhone. Love it, hard to find them better.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/21/2018 - Brian of Mull Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very smooth, like silk. Fabulous red fruits and great mouthfeel. Really well made. It's getting better as it opens up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/10/2018 - jsebiri wrote:
Excellent wine , nose was ethereal felt through my whole body. Had at Lurcat in Minneapolis , which is an excellent spot.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/10/2018 - chatters wrote:
Coravin fun - new arrivals (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. I wonder...it feels like a little bit of stalks and some whole berry, beautifully balanced, fleshy fresh blackberries, some talc textured tannin, still primary but beginning to slough off that puppy fat quality. Very pleasant indeed.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/20/2018 - barryjkeller@gmail.com Likes this wine:
So different from last bottle - don’t know why. maybe better decant ?
Loved it (a while ago unfortunately) big, balanced, complex, lovely fruit. Wow this definitely makes you think yup to northern Rhone
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/27/2018 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
Dinner at Margeaux Brasserie (Chicago, IL): This is in an intermediate phase right now, where this is mostly primary, but where you also know that those primary characteristics are starting to taper off. The black fruit here is classic Cornas, and there's a green spiciness to this that's actually a little different from the other Clapes I've had. The palate is nice and rich with black fruit, and again that green spice. It's clearly not yet ready on the palate, with a pretty tight tannic structure still. I think rule of 15 is pretty reasonable for this wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/26/2018 - soyhead wrote:
Nose - black pepper, cassis , tobacco, Sweet earth
Mouth - velvety mouthfeel, suave, black pepper, olive with a deep dark rich almost brooding core. Really good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/5/2018 - barryjkeller@gmail.com wrote:
Great balance and complexity even now and heaps of development left. However quite meaty, almost too much ....did I enjoy, not sure.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/17/2017 - Sundbyberg wrote: 93 Points
Tasting: I quite liked this. More of a typical syrah than previous vintages I have had (2006 and 1998).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/16/2017 - sidaga Likes this wine: 92 Points
Robe violet dense;
Nez en fraîcheur, les olives noires & les fleurs sont perceptibles dès le départ. Les petits fruits foncés (mûres & cerises foncés) & les épices prennent plus de place avec le temps. Il y a un aspect d'épices vertes (thym & romarin) qui apportent de fraîcheur à l'ensemble. Beau bouquet, dense & élégant.
Bouche dense en attaque, principalement sur les petits fruits foncés, petite touche sauvage, tout en fraîcheur. Tannins fins & bien intégré. Superbe balance apportée par l'acidité. Longue finale, principalement sur le poivre & la pierre concassé. Toute en élégance malgré la richesse & densité des arômes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/17/2017 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 93 Points
Soft and luscious. Nice almost delicate wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/11/2017 - FullPolicyLimits wrote: 93 Points
Clean and robust. 2 hour decant. Going to be really good soon.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/13/2017 - ravikalaga Likes this wine: 92 Points
Popped and Decanted for a couple of hrs. This could have used a few more years of cellaring but wow, the complexity on both the nose and palate is mesmerizing. We had this alongside a 08 Anderson Valley Syrah and the darker fruits and just the weight of the wine powered through the night. Just a fantastic drinking experience but holding this for a few years would be better.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/8/2016 - Vinum Deorum wrote: 91 Points
Too young, but great potential. Thick texture, almost jammy. Luckily there is a good acidity counterbalancing this jammy sensation. Aromas of dried plums, medicinal herbs, roasted figs, vanilla. Long on the palate but quite compact and monolithic. Let it age for at least 4/5 years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/19/2016 - Levantine wrote:
as soon as the it was poured i thought the glass was going to break
high energy! and razor like cut
dried herbs in the mediterranean sun.
too young in the mouth
overall superb
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/3/2016 - giba ochman Likes this wine: 92 Points
Good future here. Wait 3-5y
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/8/2015 - BillyT wrote: 92 Points
My wife loves Syrah and CdP. For me they tend to be a bit bold and brash at times. However, this Cornas is balanced, great fruit, well integrated tannins and sufficient acidity for the long haul. Typical dark garnet color with medium legs. Nose of black fruit and a hint of lighter red fruit. Mouth feel was medium with silkiness into a long finish. Unfortunately it is way too young but good to experience it now knowing it will be around for a while.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/6/2015 - aekenback wrote: 94 Points
The perfect combination of power and elegance. Flowers, meat and crushed rock lies ontop beautiful syrah fruit. Fine, powdery tannins. Nothing rustic about this. Surely loads of potential for the future, but utterly delicious and drinkable today.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/14/2015 - winelegends.net Likes this wine: 94 Points
94+
Lila Rot
Eiche,Rauch,schwarzfruchtig.Leder.Zusammenspiel verschiedenster Aromen.Süssliches Cassis im Hintergrund,zwischendurch Lakritze,Trüffel auch erdig.
Faszinierendes Spektrum,sehr komplex,aber auch leicht burschikos,viel Charakter.
Gute Säure,dicht,noch leicht prägend,aber Gerbstoffe doch schon recht gut integriert,zwischendurch samtig.
Wird noch dunkelfruchtiger,erdiger,würziger,zwischendurch Kümmel.
Langer leicht prägend,dunkelfruchtiger Abgang.
Viel Eigenständigkeit/Charakter ,viel Substanz und auf dem Weg zu einem grossen Wein.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/13/2015 - jlhkiss Likes this wine: 94 Points
Purchased this bottle in Paris back in March and waited a few months for bottle shock. Decanted three hours ahead of a feast of seared smoky BBQ pork loin, chicken, roasted garlic potatoes, asparagus, and watermelon feta salad. Sappy, purple, cloudy Crimson. The nose is concentrated and extraordinary, bringing fresh cut violets, roses, lavender, cherry blossoms, spearmint, white pepper, dried herbs, smoked bacon, sweet cherry tobacco, campfire, and candied raspberries. The palate is medium-full, square, broad, and juicy, bringing loads of Manhattan cherries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, sweet tobacco, horse saddle, charcoal, motor oil, dried herbs, roasted garlic, and nice candied strawberries into the finish, which lasts 45-seconds with good weight and thick yet delicate tannins. Drinking good now but this will evolve into all kinds of wonderful things in the decades ahead. Drink through 2040.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/26/2015 - SineQuaNon Likes this wine: 93 Points
This puppy has got some character! Pronounced Northern Rhone notes of cracked black pepper and cloves but then also a huge personality of red berry flavours, almost strawberry-yoghurt, a bright red berry profile, but it didn't seem like malo-yoghurt - it really felt like just the character of the wine and terroir and not something winemaking related. I suppose you could call it floral; lillacs, lillies, lavender. Very intense. It doesn't sound that unique in writing, but it really was. This should be easy to identify blind as it really has a character dissimilar to most other wines, even from the Northern Rhone. Then of course a rather tight, youthful structure with present acidity and quite some tannins to let you know that this is Syrah and France. Highly enjoyed this.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/5/2015 - ucbeau Likes this wine: 90 Points
Opened approximately 1.5 hours prior to serving. The nose was very pretty, with smoked meat and plums, blackberry, and garrigue. Also unfortunately some nail polish remover showed up and did a lot to mute what I think could have been an even more expressive nose. On the palate it was beautiful though, with tart black and red fruit, leather, spicy white pepper and dusty herbs. There's awesome acidity here as well as ample tanning, but this didn't feel too young at all. A lengthy, tapering finish was a great touch on a delicious bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/19/2014 - denver_vinder Likes this wine: 94 Points
Black and concentrated with a purple rim. After 2 hours the nose was not open at all. After being quite restricted in the beginning, more air brings bright, clean fruit with blackberries, meat, almost violent tannins and a mouth-filling, endless aftertaste. Far from being mature or drinking-ready, give it at least 5 years or maybe even better: a decade. Despite not being from the best vintage, this wine has a truely huge potential if you have the patience. 94-95 p
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/30/2014 - -E- wrote: 94 Points
Klar, dyp rød med innslag av blått. Dyp, elegant og innsmigrende nese med mørke, røde bær, blåbær, einer og mild krekling.
Dyp, konsentrert, strukturert og bestemt frukt med nydelig fokus. Syrefrisk og med milde, men faste tanniner. Tørr utgang med nydelig lengde. Trenger lang tid i kjelleren.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/23/2014 - karl.1480 Likes this wine: 94 Points
(at Restaurang AG, Stockholm)
Deep ruby color.
Youthful, intense, complex and extremely pure nose. Blackberries, raw meat, freshly grounded black pepper, smoke and hyacinth. A school book example of very high quality Syrah. I could smell this forever.
The first thing that struck me was the exceptional balance to this wine! Everything is just in a perfect harmony. Very young and a liiiittle tight on the palate. Blackberries, meat, violets, black pepper and dark plums on the palate. Medium+ ripe tannins, body and acidity. The finish is complex and very long.
Today this is an outstanding wine but will get even better with aging. This is high fucking quality.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/6/2014 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 96 Points
"Dum Vivimus Vivamus!"
The invocation is on the vanguard and all senses hail to this exquisite beauty. I decanted for three hours. Strawberry and rhubarb pie, black-peppered bacon, lilies, hot brick, rain and red licorice. extremely indicative of the terroir in richness and balance, with agility that is exacting. Time will tell, and tell, and tell... More traditional than the last two mesmerizing, riveting vintages, with every edge polished and silky. The perfect acidity. Drink 2016 -.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/22/2014 - ach816 Likes this wine: 93 Points
See: deep ruby purple, M+ … less intense compared to the 2010.
Smell: Intense right out of the bottle. Delineated, Has that Auguste Clape fingerprint of bay laurel, sage, tobacco, smoke, leather, cheese rind, blackberry, blueberry compote, bacon, cedar. Nose = 96-98 points, for sure. It's gorgeous and definitely competes with the 2010.
Taste: M+ body, seems to be lacking a little intensity on the midpalate at the moment; the flavors seem a bit loose. M+ muscular tannins. m/m+ acidity. Blueberry. Spice. Huge, long irony finish (long) with more bay laurel and cedar. Palate at this point is 92, doesn't have the depth of the 2010.
93+ points.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/20/2014 - sehill wrote: 91 Points
Decanted and poured, this wine gave an excellent showing; however, the wine does give a sense of leanness on the palate that detracts from the overall impression. The expressive aromatics show red fruit that evolves to a more black fruit profile with airing, herb, black olive, black pepper and stone. The color is a youthful dark ruby to purple. The medium / full bodied palate shows balance and structure on a leaner frame with a medium length finish. The finish shows firm tannins and acidity. This wine benefit from bottle and evolved with airing. This wine should benefit from additional bottle age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/18/2014 - startinoz wrote: 94 Points
Dark, graphite nose with a ripe stalky nose. Light-medium bodied. Silky texture. Good concentration and balance. Gravelly tannins. Very nice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2013 - sebastienjm wrote: 94 Points
!!!!!!!!! Exceptionnel. Nez d'une concentration inouïe en fruits, très charmeur... certains vont hurler en lisant ça, mais le nez rappelle presque les grands morgon d'années ensoleillées...
La bouche est impeccable, digeste, les tanins présents mais pas rustiques pour autant, on arrête pas de se resservir, magnifique.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/8/2013 - Christoffer78 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wow! This is a stunning effort from Auguste Clape. This wine is the definition of bottled elegance. The wine gives a perfectly clean and very nuanced impression with clean fruit, wet stone, a whiff of black pepper, raw meat and profound minerals. The palate follows through nicely with perfect integration and balance, but you can certainly feel the power luring behind the facade of perfection and elegance. There is no doubt this is one of the Grand Vins from Northern Rhône and despite being somewhat of a 'difficult' vintage, this effort delivers an abundance of true pleasure!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/17/2013 - godx wrote:
France 2013 – Northern Rhone; 4/17/2013-4/19/2013 (Ampuis): Tasted at the Domaine. From barrel (final blend). A deeper and less high toned nose than the 2011 Renaissance with raspberry and classic syrah fruit. Big structure on the palate with extremely firm tannins. Despite those tannins, the mouthfeel is quite polished and has already come together nicely. This is will be great but hands off for 10-15 years. (92-94+).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment