Heater week; 3/8/2024-3/17/2024 (Chicago, IL): Still too young. This is a bit too woody right now, with really backwards tannins. The fruit is clearly black-tinted, but overall this is too aggressively structural right now. More interesting in a decade.
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No signs of damage/flaws, but this never opened up in terms of any expected and typical aromas. Remained fairly dead over several hours of decanting; integrated tannins and acidity were there. Ended up opening the 2018 vintage and it was full of life, improving with decanting, as expected.
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Dégustation verticale du Cornas du domaine Clape (Restaurant Les Mômes): Le nez le moins expressif. Bouche iodée, bon équilibre, belle fraîcheur et équilibre en attaque. La finale est assez austère, tannique. Il a besoin de temps. 90+ pts en l'état mais sans doute davantage dans quelques années.
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March Rhônes (Chicago, IL): Burly and black-fruited, this just doesn't feel like it's anywhere ready for enjoyment. Especially next to the Levet Chavaroche, this feels shut down and quite grumpy. I like the fruit here -- I think there's enough that this will be able to make old bones. Maybe it'll turn out like that brilliant 1999 that I had a week or two ago.
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Wonderful. Ready to go right out of the bottle. Enjoyed this next to a 14 Gonon - Gonon had more precision but this had more bass notes, more depth. No hard edges right now. Charming. Baked black cherry, berry leaf, smoky with a touch of olives. Sweet and savory. In a great place to drink right now if you have some.
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Impressive dense and deep nose with black fruit, smoke and tobacco. Palate is full bodied and rich, with exiting sweet fruit and this special iron element. Pretty long finish. I love this old school vibe, but at the same time its almost juicy. Not at all tight. Thanks to the three previous tasting notes, which made me try this beauty.
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Decanted for 1 hour before drinking. Great aromas of iron, leather, and dark fruit. Great concentration on the palate, tannins were in balance for me (although we drink this with food), finish was long. Excellent cornas.
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Very young and wound up in its shell. Textbook feel of that iron, smoky meaty feel. But it’s still very much tight and needs another 5-6 years to open up. Good and well made for sure just a bit too early for our palate. 91-92
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Very dark, lots of tar, dark olives. Very tannic, dry. An iron fist. Difficult to read today, needs another 5-10 years in the cellar. I hope the fruit will survive the edgy tannins. Clape tasting chez Lillelund.
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First impression: Tight but juicy, hard on the edges - the vintages speaks. This needs time - serious time. Iron, blood and steel here, reminds me a bit of the 2001 at this stage. Tannic. Will eventually be better than the 2014, I think - but not sure, tightens even further on day 2.
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Bright crimson to ruby red. The bouquet is intense and fabulous: hung beef, morello cherry, tilled earth (mixed with manure) and sword on stone. In between there are tinned sour cherry in a pancake served on a granite counter top alongside a salted dried black olive. Medium to full bodied with a crushed velvet texture the flavour show sweet cherry liquid from the tin alongside pastry and a sprinkle of pepper. A lively acidity match firm savoury filigree tannins that build. Fabulous mid-palate breadth, the wine unfold to more leather, spicy pepper stem notes and some feral qualities even with a bitter edge to the aftertaste. Long finish, good concentration, no real oak noted, Very good. Not as feral as some of Clape’s offering.
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Still very dark of colour and fruit profile, There is some black olive, tar and dried herbs mixing it up with blackcurrant and blackberry fruits. It is very savoury, with granite-like tannins and a finish that is chewy and flavoursome.
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I believe this was decanted for 2hrs give or take. While the nose was solid, this was borderline spectacular to taste, or at least for my hack palate. Certainly dark fruit themed, perhaps black currant with an ever so slight dried herbal underlay, black olive and iron shavings, and a finishing touch of cured meat. The real praise here is the ever hard to articulate but I know it when I taste it – balance. Perfectly poised and aligned in its separate parts that the whole package was a joy to drink, irrespective of its clearly early days. Seems to me a fair amount of 13 N Rhones are performing ahead of where they had been originally forecasted at. At any event, I loved this and if you have a few, give one a go.
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An exceptional effort. Even for Clape, this is a reference wine. Rather tannic and tight right now, but nonetheless super refined, complex and energetic. Tasted it next to a 2013 Jamet Cote Rotie, which was absolutely dwarfed!
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Cornas has become somewhat of an obsession for me over the past year, so after enjoying various offerings from Balthazar, Courbis, Farge, Lionnet, Paris (his Reynard bottling is exceptional, I thought), Tunnel, and others I couldn’t wait any longer to try my first bottle from the legend himself.
Invited some friends and started with a flight of St. Joseph (Darnaud), McLaren Vale Shiraz (Coriole) and Russian River Syrah (Carlisle) for context. A viognier for variety, and then this Clape was paired with a ‘15 Sangre de Jonata. Decanted 3 hours.
Immediately after opening, the Clape was closed on the nose and dominated by tannin on the palate. After decanting: much more open aromas of fragrant violets and rose, black plum, hint of green bell pepper (from stems?), black peppercorns, and some sage or rosemary. The palate is taut and structured, with mostly primary flavors: black cherry, plum, maybe some black olive and licorice. There is a refreshing streak of minerality. Body is lighter than I expected initially and on the mid-palate, before the tannins set in for a long finish.
When I first opened this I was worried it would be way too young, but after three hours of breathing it seems to have turned out well. Maybe it’s the comparison with the new world wines, but I was surprised by how elegant and balanced this felt. With a few more years the tannins should be more integrated, but I enjoy that bit of grip it has now. I found it really enjoyable and I’m motivated to seek out more bottles of this and other vintages. It is pricey though, compared to say, Courbis Sabarotte 2010 (similar complexity, slightly better balance for drinking now) or Farge Reynard 2017 (astounding in its purity and intensity).
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Deep and intense showing black currants, iron, charcoal smoke and hints of smoked meats and saddle leather. Finishes with excellent length and concentration. Best after 2 hour decant.
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Shared by SH. Deep purple and with a seriously dark core. Oak is well hidden but clearly there. Spice, meat, Violets. Full bodied. Needs lots of air. Will last decades and surely add some more points
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slow to unravel with air, the nose is deep and compelling showing hints of lavender, charcoal and iron, quite elegant for Cornas, yet retaining it's dark and brooding side, juicy on the midpalate which displays flavors of plum, blackberry, fresh herbs and stones, mouthwatering acidity over a dark wine, brilliant, will age well
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Last tasted and noted 3/2018, when my score was the same. Cellar stored since release, this needed 90 minutes to decant and show its stuff. It’s more forward than 15 months ago, but still 3-4 years away from really being ready. This is so seductive though, it’s hard to stay off of it. This is old school Cornas, from a less than great vintage, so the length and textural depth aren't what you’d like, but its vitality, freshness, and great Cornas balance are there: on one side, iodine, copper, and a salt crusted beefsteak tanginess; on the other, sweet blackberries, violets, and black cherry pits. I think this gains a point or two at peak, and was superb tonight with pan seared wagyu strip, oven roasted sweet potato “fries”, and charred shiitakes.
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Clape Vertical (Table, Donkey & Stick - Chicago, IL): This got better in the glass, but the truth is that its just so primary right now. Barely showing any nuance with notions of leather and meat. Hold for 5+ years. Upside from here.
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Case of the Clape (Chicago, IL): Not quite as barrel-sample as the 2016, but while the intellectual exercise was certainly worthwhile, it's not a bottle I would open to drink now. There's actually a slightly bacterial(?) dirtiness on the nose that was quite persistent and never seemed to go away (this wasn't TCA though), but mostly this is an exercise in the standard Cornas black fruit. Almost certainly we've caught this at an odd time, and I'd be curious to see where this ends up. 2013 isn't a great vintage, so I doubt this will end up as a brilliant wine, but it should end up as a fairly solid workhorse vintage. Not sure it's one I would buy though.
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Dark purple in the glass, and very nearly non-translucent. The bouquet offers purple and blue berries (blackcurrant, blackberry, blueberry), assorted cracked peppercorns, herbs, bramble, coal, crushed river stones, and campfire ash, all of which are enhanced by cured meat and blood elements. Strikingly primary and brooding! This is pure Syrah...and it does not get much better. Indeed, it put my mind to a handful of equal or better quality Syrah tasting experiences, which include in no particular order, the 1997 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne, 2015 Gramercy Cellars Syrah John Lewis Reserve, 2015 Gramercy Cellars Syrah Lagniappe, 2010 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage, and 2013 Domaine Faury St. Joseph Vieilles Vignes. Savory elements lingered in the background, and are likely to develop in time. The wine also stands out for its cleanness, specifically the absence of feral notes, which can be off-putting to some. Raspy and gritty texture, medium tannins, and medium plus to high acid. Utterly delicious and approachable now, but several pros understated the wine's aging potential, as it packs the substance to evolve for at least ten years from today, probably fifteen, and needs at least seven to reveal its latent substance. Superior! 95-97...98?
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2013 Clape Cornas Dyp lillasvart med rød kant. Mye bunnfall. Første sniff... [Den følelsen: Bakoversveis + Top Gun, 'Take my breath away' + treningsscenen til Rocky Balboa]. Sjarmen til Tom Cruise og musklene til Sylvester Stallone. Litt kaotisk ved åpning. Veldig primær og litt kaotisk nese med blåbær, krekling, oliven, pepper og tobakk pluss en dose stall. Etter dobbel time i karaffel samler den seg igjen. Det tripper russiske balettdansere, og svever tobakk- og blomsterblader samt svartbær ut av glasset. Munn: Svartbær, tobakk, pepper, skogbunn, spices og noe animalsk/ balsamisk i munn. Mange lag og en ettersmak som bare varer og varer. En utrolig kombinasjon av eleganse, massiv konsentrasjon og kompleksitet med bare 13 % alkohol. Clape bruker mye stilk og er hardhendt med cap'en. Det gir mye tanniner og mindre alkohol. Jeg digger skikkelig struktur, men tanninene her er ganske grove og river i munnhulen. Selv den er god nå, så la den ligge. 94 p.
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Decanted 1.5 hours ahead of grilled herb chicken, mixed berry salad, and summer fixens. Dark purple-crimson color. The nose is intense, bringing cherry cobbler, violets, roses, tar, wet earth, beef stock, cloves, and blueberry pie. The palate is full, round, velvety, and extremely textured, flowing with dark cherries, ripe blackberries and huckleberries, cured meat, blood, cherry lavender, dark chocolate, and blueberry compote. The finish lasts over a minute with a good bite and firm tannins. I didn't find this wine as big as others; rather, it was softer, rounder, and more elegant than I expected at this stage. Will save my next bottle for 10-15+ years. Drink now or after 2025. Technical score: 94. Enjoyment score: 92.
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Needs a two hour cool temp decant at this point, but then offers bouquet of black cherry extract, black licorice, smokey cherrywood, copper refinery, mocha, and charred calves liver. In the mouth this is waxy and concentrated, beautifully balanced, long gorgeous structure, smooth tannins, hint of heat, tons of black cherry with cinnamon spice and celery seed. Great w roast quail, simply seasoned to let the wine shine.
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Drank with Teranna and Hilda after the Rioja tasting. Palate was a little fried and a disservice to pop & pour this but remember gorgeous mouth feel and lovely balance of fruit and savory components. After the profound 2010, even this tasting was enough to convince me of the potential of Clape Cornas beyond he Marquee vintages.
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Northern Rhone Blind Tasting: Clear, black-garnet color. Alluring secondary aromas of clove, nutmeg, sassafrass, lavender and plum fruit. Nicely elegant density and complexity on the palate, with really nice purity of fruit- black raspberry and red currant, along with spice box notes, black tea, tapenade and rosemary. Medium acid, fine silky tannin, and a deep and lengthy finish. Excellent, close 2nd to the Hermitage. Needs plenty of time.
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Really good Cornas, obviously young, but still fun to drink. The nose has loads of dark fruit, pen ink, crushed stone, violet, smoke. The palate is dense, brooding, and dark, but delicious. Tannins are obvious, but ripe and not overwhelming; nice acidity and overall great balance. Fabulous.
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California and Northern Rhône Syrah (SF Wine Trading Company): Inky appearance. Weedy nose. Medium to full bodied, tremendous mouth coverage and texture. Mixed red and black fruit, very tarry, almost like a big Barolo. Closed and tannic, lots of charcoal on the finish. The tar and tannin stayed on my tongue for a good 2 minutes after swallowing the last drop. Impressive from a long term perspective, but much rougher going than when last tasted about a year ago. It just begs to be put away for 15 years before revisiting it.
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Lovely, especially considering the potential. I would wait 5 years for the next one, if I was sure to avoid any tunnel. But great fruit, balance and structure
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Visite au Domaine Auguste Clape (Cornas): Bouche puissante, tannique, épicée, moins charmeur que 2014, plus de garde. Bouche réglissée, avec un beau fruit derrière les tanins. Potentiel très intéressant. Il vaut mieux boire le 2014 avant. 92-93 + pts
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Dark, massive, fruit with meat, blood and olives. Not overly tannic but the wine feels really compact at this point. Score reflects the wine today. I'm completely confident this will improve considerably with time.
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Dégustation GEEU à l'Epicerie de Châteuvieux (syrahs...): Robe pourpre, brillante. Arômes d'épices, de violettes et de poivre très légèrement voilés par un peu de poussière. Belle minéralité en bouche, de la matière, belles complexité et longueur. Attendre impérativement.
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Inky color. Reticent but hints of ripe black fruit, violets, and herbs. Huge, layered wine. Blackberry reduction, creosote, and a ton of tannins. Most definitely not for current consumption, but it is easy to feel the tremendous material and balance when tasting this. Again, should be spectacular and quite refined for Cornas.
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Almost opaque throughout. More restrained aromatically than the Renaissance with only a touch of purple flowers and blackberry jam. Deep, denser than the Renaissance, wonderful mouth coating feel, but completely unevolved; you have to trust the purity, balance, and feel rather than relying on the taste. Big, furry, persistent tannins. This should be stupendous in 2 or 3 decades, but even now, it is not too brutal for a Cornas of this age.
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Amazingly intense. Nose of sweet ink, stone, 'mud', prune, and dark berry. Huge palate at the same time sweet and burnt fruit. Lots of extract. Like drinking dark fruit juice. Huge but interesting.
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3/30/2024 - Hojodoedoe wrote: 80 Points
Good not great
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3/17/2024 - acyso wrote: 88 Points
Heater week; 3/8/2024-3/17/2024 (Chicago, IL): Still too young. This is a bit too woody right now, with really backwards tannins. The fruit is clearly black-tinted, but overall this is too aggressively structural right now. More interesting in a decade.
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1/2/2024 - barryjkeller@gmail.com Likes this wine:
Absolutely sensational ! Big decant but still drinking well. Yum - not as rustic as I was expecting. Leave the next for 5 plus
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10/15/2023 - Slaz wrote:
No signs of damage/flaws, but this never opened up in terms of any expected and typical aromas. Remained fairly dead over several hours of decanting; integrated tannins and acidity were there. Ended up opening the 2018 vintage and it was full of life, improving with decanting, as expected.
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9/6/2023 - d'Artagnan wrote: 90 Points
Dégustation verticale du Cornas du domaine Clape (Restaurant Les Mômes): Le nez le moins expressif. Bouche iodée, bon équilibre, belle fraîcheur et équilibre en attaque. La finale est assez austère, tannique. Il a besoin de temps. 90+ pts en l'état mais sans doute davantage dans quelques années.
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3/12/2023 - Francophile1 Likes this wine:
March Madness Wine Tasting: Served blind. Black fruit, asphalt, crushed rocks, tobacco, slightly sweet tannin. Yum!
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3/12/2023 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
March Rhônes (Chicago, IL): Burly and black-fruited, this just doesn't feel like it's anywhere ready for enjoyment. Especially next to the Levet Chavaroche, this feels shut down and quite grumpy. I like the fruit here -- I think there's enough that this will be able to make old bones. Maybe it'll turn out like that brilliant 1999 that I had a week or two ago.
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2/5/2023 - mattyboy_ Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wonderful. Ready to go right out of the bottle. Enjoyed this next to a 14 Gonon - Gonon had more precision but this had more bass notes, more depth. No hard edges right now. Charming. Baked black cherry, berry leaf, smoky with a touch of olives. Sweet and savory. In a great place to drink right now if you have some.
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2/3/2023 - Hanibal Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still coiled on itself and need many years. Only scratched the surface of what this could eventually be.
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2/3/2023 - Whitman wrote: 95 Points
Impressive dense and deep nose with black fruit, smoke and tobacco. Palate is full bodied and rich, with exiting sweet fruit and this special iron element. Pretty long finish. I love this old school vibe, but at the same time its almost juicy. Not at all tight.
Thanks to the three previous tasting notes, which made me try this beauty.
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1/19/2023 - LARich Likes this wine: 94 Points
Super smooth classoc Conras with elegant nose and full bodied fonish Just coming into its prime with years left.
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10/21/2022 - Thomas123 wrote: 98 Points
Really love it. I don’t understand how they can make a wine of such elegance and refinement in a place so scorching hot. So happy to have 2 left…
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6/19/2022 - jtreger wrote: 95 Points
Decanted for 1 hour before drinking. Great aromas of iron, leather, and dark fruit. Great concentration on the palate, tannins were in balance for me (although we drink this with food), finish was long. Excellent cornas.
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5/28/2022 - levicn Likes this wine: 93 Points
中等紫红色，闻香有明显的牲厩味，一点腌菜味，紫罗兰，黑果，植物气息，看颜色估计就是西拉了。入口酸度高，单宁紧致，颗粒细腻，酒液咸，矿物感，明显的胡椒香料，黑莓的果香，后段辛香料，余味紫罗兰，香料感，和持续的动物皮毛味。这是一支质量非常高的旧世界酒，内敛而又严肃，正值壮年，还有很长的发展潜力，漂亮的集中度和香气复杂度，口感扎实，是我喜欢的风格，尽管它有些臭，但是我居然能忍。应该是一支敞口发酵的酒。
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4/1/2022 - Papies wrote: 91 Points
Very young and wound up in its shell.
Textbook feel of that iron, smoky meaty feel. But it’s still very much tight and needs another 5-6 years to open up. Good and well made for sure just a bit too early for our palate. 91-92
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2/28/2022 - pbaek wrote:
Very dark, lots of tar, dark olives. Very tannic, dry. An iron fist. Difficult to read today, needs another 5-10 years in the cellar. I hope the fruit will survive the edgy tannins. Clape tasting chez Lillelund.
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2/28/2022 - beatles wrote: 93 Points
First impression: Tight but juicy, hard on the edges - the vintages speaks. This needs time - serious time. Iron, blood and steel here, reminds me a bit of the 2001 at this stage. Tannic. Will eventually be better than the 2014, I think - but not sure, tightens even further on day 2.
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12/3/2021 - Gironde Likes this wine:
One bottle corked.
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1/17/2021 - rikipedia Likes this wine: 94 Points
Bright crimson to ruby red. The bouquet is intense and fabulous: hung beef, morello cherry, tilled earth (mixed with manure) and sword on stone. In between there are tinned sour cherry in a pancake served on a granite counter top alongside a salted dried black olive.
Medium to full bodied with a crushed velvet texture the flavour show sweet cherry liquid from the tin alongside pastry and a sprinkle of pepper. A lively acidity match firm savoury filigree tannins that build. Fabulous mid-palate breadth, the wine unfold to more leather, spicy pepper stem notes and some feral qualities even with a bitter edge to the aftertaste. Long finish, good concentration, no real oak noted, Very good. Not as feral as some of Clape’s offering.
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1/2/2021 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Still very dark of colour and fruit profile, There is some black olive, tar and dried herbs mixing it up with blackcurrant and blackberry fruits. It is very savoury, with granite-like tannins and a finish that is chewy and flavoursome.
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11/28/2020 - Kriz wrote: 94 Points
Not the best vintage... Young... I know. But this is very good. Meaty, ink, black olive, leather. Big syrah palate, long finish. A pleasure to drink.
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10/3/2020 - Dale M wrote: 94 Points
I believe this was decanted for 2hrs give or take. While the nose was solid, this was borderline spectacular to taste, or at least for my hack palate. Certainly dark fruit themed, perhaps black currant with an ever so slight dried herbal underlay, black olive and iron shavings, and a finishing touch of cured meat. The real praise here is the ever hard to articulate but I know it when I taste it – balance. Perfectly poised and aligned in its separate parts that the whole package was a joy to drink, irrespective of its clearly early days. Seems to me a fair amount of 13 N Rhones are performing ahead of where they had been originally forecasted at. At any event, I loved this and if you have a few, give one a go.
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10/2/2020 - Thomas123 wrote: 98 Points
An exceptional effort. Even for Clape, this is a reference wine. Rather tannic and tight right now, but nonetheless super refined, complex and energetic. Tasted it next to a 2013 Jamet Cote Rotie, which was absolutely dwarfed!
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9/11/2020 - mmoretal Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cornas has become somewhat of an obsession for me over the past year, so after enjoying various offerings from Balthazar, Courbis, Farge, Lionnet, Paris (his Reynard bottling is exceptional, I thought), Tunnel, and others I couldn’t wait any longer to try my first bottle from the legend himself.
Invited some friends and started with a flight of St. Joseph (Darnaud), McLaren Vale Shiraz (Coriole) and Russian River Syrah (Carlisle) for context. A viognier for variety, and then this Clape was paired with a ‘15 Sangre de Jonata. Decanted 3 hours.
Immediately after opening, the Clape was closed on the nose and dominated by tannin on the palate. After decanting: much more open aromas of fragrant violets and rose, black plum, hint of green bell pepper (from stems?), black peppercorns, and some sage or rosemary. The palate is taut and structured, with mostly primary flavors: black cherry, plum, maybe some black olive and licorice. There is a refreshing streak of minerality. Body is lighter than I expected initially and on the mid-palate, before the tannins set in for a long finish.
When I first opened this I was worried it would be way too young, but after three hours of breathing it seems to have turned out well. Maybe it’s the comparison with the new world wines, but I was surprised by how elegant and balanced this felt. With a few more years the tannins should be more integrated, but I enjoy that bit of grip it has now. I found it really enjoyable and I’m motivated to seek out more bottles of this and other vintages. It is pricey though, compared to say, Courbis Sabarotte 2010 (similar complexity, slightly better balance for drinking now) or Farge Reynard 2017 (astounding in its purity and intensity).
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6/28/2020 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine:
LFC celebration dinner! Decanted 1.5 hours, dark red purple, ripe, guessing a young N Rhone, licorice, way too young, good potential
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4/29/2020 - finediningnyc Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep and intense showing black currants, iron, charcoal smoke and hints of smoked meats and saddle leather. Finishes with excellent length and concentration. Best after 2 hour decant.
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3/6/2020 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine: 92 Points
Shared by SH.
Deep purple and with a seriously dark core.
Oak is well hidden but clearly there.
Spice, meat, Violets. Full bodied. Needs lots of air. Will last decades and surely add some more points
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12/23/2019 - whits Likes this wine: 94 Points
slow to unravel with air, the nose is deep and compelling showing hints of lavender, charcoal and iron, quite elegant for Cornas, yet retaining it's dark and brooding side, juicy on the midpalate which displays flavors of plum, blackberry, fresh herbs and stones, mouthwatering acidity over a dark wine, brilliant, will age well
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8/22/2019 - drwine2001 wrote:
Deep ruby. Herbs and creosote. Lean but powerful. This seems structured like Cornas of yesteryear. Really excellent and it will last forever.
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6/18/2019 - OenoEd wrote: 93 Points
Last tasted and noted 3/2018, when my score was the same. Cellar stored since release, this needed 90 minutes to decant and show its stuff. It’s more forward than 15 months ago, but still 3-4 years away from really being ready. This is so seductive though, it’s hard to stay off of it. This is old school Cornas, from a less than great vintage, so the length and textural depth aren't what you’d like, but its vitality, freshness, and great Cornas balance are there: on one side, iodine, copper, and a salt crusted beefsteak tanginess; on the other, sweet blackberries, violets, and black cherry pits. I think this gains a point or two at peak, and was superb tonight with pan seared wagyu strip, oven roasted sweet potato “fries”, and charred shiitakes.
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6/10/2019 - Nanda wrote: 91 Points
Clape Vertical (Table, Donkey & Stick - Chicago, IL): This got better in the glass, but the truth is that its just so primary right now. Barely showing any nuance with notions of leather and meat. Hold for 5+ years. Upside from here.
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6/10/2019 - acyso wrote: 88 Points
Case of the Clape (Chicago, IL): Not quite as barrel-sample as the 2016, but while the intellectual exercise was certainly worthwhile, it's not a bottle I would open to drink now. There's actually a slightly bacterial(?) dirtiness on the nose that was quite persistent and never seemed to go away (this wasn't TCA though), but mostly this is an exercise in the standard Cornas black fruit. Almost certainly we've caught this at an odd time, and I'd be curious to see where this ends up. 2013 isn't a great vintage, so I doubt this will end up as a brilliant wine, but it should end up as a fairly solid workhorse vintage. Not sure it's one I would buy though.
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2/27/2019 - Motz wrote: 96 Points
Dark purple in the glass, and very nearly non-translucent. The bouquet offers purple and blue berries (blackcurrant, blackberry, blueberry), assorted cracked peppercorns, herbs, bramble, coal, crushed river stones, and campfire ash, all of which are enhanced by cured meat and blood elements. Strikingly primary and brooding! This is pure Syrah...and it does not get much better. Indeed, it put my mind to a handful of equal or better quality Syrah tasting experiences, which include in no particular order, the 1997 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne, 2015 Gramercy Cellars Syrah John Lewis Reserve, 2015 Gramercy Cellars Syrah Lagniappe, 2010 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage, and 2013 Domaine Faury St. Joseph Vieilles Vignes. Savory elements lingered in the background, and are likely to develop in time. The wine also stands out for its cleanness, specifically the absence of feral notes, which can be off-putting to some. Raspy and gritty texture, medium tannins, and medium plus to high acid. Utterly delicious and approachable now, but several pros understated the wine's aging potential, as it packs the substance to evolve for at least ten years from today, probably fifteen, and needs at least seven to reveal its latent substance. Superior! 95-97...98?
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12/22/2018 - "Rhône Rider" Likes this wine: 91 Points
Ble luftet for lite. Plommer, blåbær, tobakk og rå frukt på nese. Lukket i munn. Kirsebær, råfrukt i munn. Tanninsk og lukket.
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9/28/2018 - "Rhône Rider" Likes this wine: 94 Points
2013 Clape Cornas
Dyp lillasvart med rød kant. Mye bunnfall. Første sniff... [Den følelsen: Bakoversveis + Top Gun, 'Take my breath away' + treningsscenen til Rocky Balboa]. Sjarmen til Tom Cruise og musklene til Sylvester Stallone. Litt kaotisk ved åpning. Veldig primær og litt kaotisk nese med blåbær, krekling, oliven, pepper og tobakk pluss en dose stall. Etter dobbel time i karaffel samler den seg igjen. Det tripper russiske balettdansere, og svever tobakk- og blomsterblader samt svartbær ut av glasset. Munn: Svartbær, tobakk, pepper, skogbunn, spices og noe animalsk/ balsamisk i munn. Mange lag og en ettersmak som bare varer og varer. En utrolig kombinasjon av eleganse, massiv konsentrasjon og kompleksitet med bare 13 % alkohol. Clape bruker mye stilk og er hardhendt med cap'en. Det gir mye tanniner og mindre alkohol. Jeg digger skikkelig struktur, men tanninene her er ganske grove og river i munnhulen. Selv den er god nå, så la den ligge. 94 p.
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8/5/2018 - jlhkiss Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 1.5 hours ahead of grilled herb chicken, mixed berry salad, and summer fixens. Dark purple-crimson color. The nose is intense, bringing cherry cobbler, violets, roses, tar, wet earth, beef stock, cloves, and blueberry pie. The palate is full, round, velvety, and extremely textured, flowing with dark cherries, ripe blackberries and huckleberries, cured meat, blood, cherry lavender, dark chocolate, and blueberry compote. The finish lasts over a minute with a good bite and firm tannins. I didn't find this wine as big as others; rather, it was softer, rounder, and more elegant than I expected at this stage. Will save my next bottle for 10-15+ years. Drink now or after 2025. Technical score: 94. Enjoyment score: 92.
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5/11/2018 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Not corked but this wine had a really dusty nose. The palate was loaded with dark fruits, flora and earth and had good intensity.
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3/31/2018 - OenoEd Likes this wine: 93 Points
Needs a two hour cool temp decant at this point, but then offers bouquet of black cherry extract, black licorice, smokey cherrywood, copper refinery, mocha, and charred calves liver. In the mouth this is waxy and concentrated, beautifully balanced, long gorgeous structure, smooth tannins, hint of heat, tons of black cherry with cinnamon spice and celery seed. Great w roast quail, simply seasoned to let the wine shine.
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3/18/2017 - OmiyaDrinker wrote: 92 Points
Drank with Teranna and Hilda after the Rioja tasting. Palate was a little fried and a disservice to pop & pour this but remember gorgeous mouth feel and lovely balance of fruit and savory components. After the profound 2010, even this tasting was enough to convince me of the potential of Clape Cornas beyond he Marquee vintages.
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3/15/2017 - MattMauldin Likes this wine: 93 Points
Northern Rhone Blind Tasting: Clear, black-garnet color. Alluring secondary aromas of clove, nutmeg, sassafrass, lavender and plum fruit. Nicely elegant density and complexity on the palate, with really nice purity of fruit- black raspberry and red currant, along with spice box notes, black tea, tapenade and rosemary. Medium acid, fine silky tannin, and a deep and lengthy finish. Excellent, close 2nd to the Hermitage. Needs plenty of time.
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2/28/2017 - RayOB wrote: 89 Points
Drank at 67
Way too young. Rich thick nose and palate full of dark brooding fruits. Come back in 5 years.
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2/24/2017 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:
Really good Cornas, obviously young, but still fun to drink. The nose has loads of dark fruit, pen ink, crushed stone, violet, smoke. The palate is dense, brooding, and dark, but delicious. Tannins are obvious, but ripe and not overwhelming; nice acidity and overall great balance. Fabulous.
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1/29/2017 - drwine2001 wrote:
California and Northern Rhône Syrah (SF Wine Trading Company): Inky appearance. Weedy nose. Medium to full bodied, tremendous mouth coverage and texture. Mixed red and black fruit, very tarry, almost like a big Barolo. Closed and tannic, lots of charcoal on the finish. The tar and tannin stayed on my tongue for a good 2 minutes after swallowing the last drop. Impressive from a long term perspective, but much rougher going than when last tasted about a year ago. It just begs to be put away for 15 years before revisiting it.
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8/10/2016 - Allaboda wrote: 92 Points
Lovely, especially considering the potential. I would wait 5 years for the next one, if I was sure to avoid any tunnel. But great fruit, balance and structure
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7/18/2016 - d'Artagnan wrote: 93 Points
Visite au Domaine Auguste Clape (Cornas): Bouche puissante, tannique, épicée, moins charmeur que 2014, plus de garde. Bouche réglissée, avec un beau fruit derrière les tanins. Potentiel très intéressant. Il vaut mieux boire le 2014 avant. 92-93 + pts
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6/9/2016 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Meaty, deep and savoury. Red berry fruits strewn with wild herbs. Some tar and gravely tannins. I like.
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4/30/2016 - aekenback wrote: 91 Points
Dark, massive, fruit with meat, blood and olives. Not overly tannic but the wine feels really compact at this point. Score reflects the wine today. I'm completely confident this will improve considerably with time.
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4/27/2016 - Ericsson Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dégustation GEEU à l'Epicerie de Châteuvieux (syrahs...): Robe pourpre, brillante. Arômes d'épices, de violettes et de poivre très légèrement voilés par un peu de poussière. Belle minéralité en bouche, de la matière, belles complexité et longueur.
Attendre impérativement.
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1/17/2016 - drwine2001 wrote:
Inky color. Reticent but hints of ripe black fruit, violets, and herbs. Huge, layered wine. Blackberry reduction, creosote, and a ton of tannins. Most definitely not for current consumption, but it is easy to feel the tremendous material and balance when tasting this. Again, should be spectacular and quite refined for Cornas.
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12/26/2015 - drwine2001 wrote:
Almost opaque throughout. More restrained aromatically than the Renaissance with only a touch of purple flowers and blackberry jam. Deep, denser than the Renaissance, wonderful mouth coating feel, but completely unevolved; you have to trust the purity, balance, and feel rather than relying on the taste. Big, furry, persistent tannins. This should be stupendous in 2 or 3 decades, but even now, it is not too brutal for a Cornas of this age.
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11/13/2015 - The Guzz wrote: 93 Points
Amazingly intense. Nose of sweet ink, stone, 'mud', prune, and dark berry. Huge palate at the same time sweet and burnt fruit. Lots of extract. Like drinking dark fruit juice. Huge but interesting.
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