Bottle purchased from Gordon's. Drank over two days. PnP. Opened up quite precociously. Great nose of meat, spices, dirt, coffee/chocolate, and wild, dark fruits. Mouth echoes nose with the addition of slight smoke notes. Very satisfying. Day 2: Little evolution, other than tannins softened a bit, although medium on PnP. This is drinking beautifully and will for another 10+ years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bottle 1310g. Moderately intense aromas on opening of dark fruit and loam, white pepper, smoke, floral top note. Dry, with moderate acidity and moderate grainy tannins, full-bodied, 13.5% abv. Wants air, and reveals itself slowly. Increasingly spicy on the palate. Then firewood on the nose. The palate gets brighter. This could take a while.... Purchased in Lyon, October '22. Throwing some silty sediment. Tobacco, herbal aromas, meringue, graphite. Meatier. Fruit is sort of the scenery at the back of the stage that all the other aromas and flavors are dancing in front of. Much later: the wine has relaxed, and all the lush, savory, meaty flavors have invited the dark cherry fruit to take a bow with them. A sensuous performance.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
My last bottle, sadly. Holding in extremely well. Slightest of bricking, secondary flavors just emerging. Perfect for a 15 degree winter evening with meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Solid 94.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very nice, well balanced with classic (albeit somewhat subtle) northern Rhone character. In many ways this was light and super relative to expectations but that is not to say it was lacking in structure. Was good to go straight from the decanter, but it opened and grew a bit more expressive after 45+ minutes of air. Had I purchased this retail I'd say it was a pretty good QPR.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Velvety and sleek, this is a charming dark fruited wine that has lots of complexity, as well as excellent verve. I’m a big fan of this wine’s juicy generosity which grows on me with each sip.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nez intense mais animal (bret ?). Ne part pas avec l'aération, donc pas réduit. Dommage car le bouche est somptueuse : soyeuse, charnue et bien équilibrée. Les 2 bouteilles ont développé ce nez animal. A revoir
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted and served. this could well use a lot more at this age. We hunt these bottles on restaurant wine lists as they offer solid value. And this was no exception with dark, fresh fruit, soft smoky, plums, and lots of spice. Surprisingly approachable and welcoming. Guess this was St Joseph frankly. 92
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Nez un peu timide sur les fruits noirs et la violette. Bouche aux tanins soyeux, d'une grande pureté et parfaitement équilibrée. Un vin racé qui impressionne aujourd'hui plus par la perfection de sa bouche que par la complexité de son nez.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Une syrah tellement concentré, mauve dans le verre. Le nez est beaucoup plus plaisant que le dernier vin de Clape bu il y a quelques années. C'est gourmand, facile à boire et vraiment textbook Cornas. Un délice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deeply pitched, dark and sooty. There are notes of black olive, tar and smoked meats too. Briary fruits are warming and just a tad blocky. There's good depth, excellent acidity and a long, savoury finish. Perfect with cassoulet.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Great Cornas Virtual Tasting (Chicagoland IL): Opened 3 hours before tasting. Black cherry and plum with roasted meat, black pepper and licorice. So much here with good weight and great balance. Wow, what a friendly wine, which surprised me because it was so completely backward when tasted two years ago in Mauves.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dense glass staining red black pig, - just inderripe raspberries and fresh floral nose w graphite, olive tampenade and bitter chocolate arriving in support on palate - crisp acids and ample fine grained peppery tannins let the show stay in nce focus and balance until bitter olive notes linger at close. The wine is light and vibrant belying the intensity of pigment. Qpr bout right for a known known.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The definition of perfect balance between fruit, tannin, acidity and extraction. A slight hint of damp earth and dark berries on the nose. So young and fresh, agree with others that this is accessible now with at least a one hour decant. Very young and will improve but there is no shame in partaking now. The genius of Auguste Clape is legendary. A perfect accompaniment to Christmas Eve dinner with family.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Surprisingly accessible now, pop and pour. Classic N Rhone Syrah notes, dark with some great farmyard action, quite juicy and fresh with fairly soft tannins. No problem to drink now.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Really classic aromas with perfect balance between tightness and fresh tones. Slightly wild red berries, young blackcurrants, leather, salt, smoke and distinctly animal. Seductive. Good full-bodied wine with pronounced freshness of red berries and clear salt flavors. Does not have the depth of a big brother, but this will drink lovely already in a few years. Very delicate and good Cornas. 93 points.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
dark and inky, loads of violet and cooked berry aromas, large, youthful, fresh, the palate is dominated by unctuous flavors of blueberry, blackberry, plum, damp earth, mineral and tobacco, tannin is obvious at this stage, yet the wine whispers innocent threats in the ears and seduces at an intellectual level, pair with fatty red meat, a beauty, going to say drink with short decant or hold
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Rhone, lots of it (Chicago, IL): The nose shows a little bit of stink, but that is soon covered over by the nice fruit elements. The palate is obviously a bit simpler, and this isn't the most complex example of Cornas, but there's plenty to like nonetheless. The fruit is ample and sweet, and the palate comes across with more purity than I typically find in Clape. There's some slight heat on the finish.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
4/3/2024 - North Willis Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bottle purchased from Gordon's. Drank over two days. PnP. Opened up quite precociously. Great nose of meat, spices, dirt, coffee/chocolate, and wild, dark fruits. Mouth echoes nose with the addition of slight smoke notes. Very satisfying.
Day 2: Little evolution, other than tannins softened a bit, although medium on PnP. This is drinking beautifully and will for another 10+ years.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/31/2024 - ocassiuso Likes this wine:
Bottle 1310g. Moderately intense aromas on opening of dark fruit and loam, white pepper, smoke, floral top note. Dry, with moderate acidity and moderate grainy tannins, full-bodied, 13.5% abv. Wants air, and reveals itself slowly. Increasingly spicy on the palate. Then firewood on the nose. The palate gets brighter. This could take a while.... Purchased in Lyon, October '22. Throwing some silty sediment.
Tobacco, herbal aromas, meringue, graphite. Meatier. Fruit is sort of the scenery at the back of the stage that all the other aromas and flavors are dancing in front of.
Much later: the wine has relaxed, and all the lush, savory, meaty flavors have invited the dark cherry fruit to take a bow with them. A sensuous performance.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/14/2024 - markydecker Likes this wine: 94 Points
My last bottle, sadly. Holding in extremely well. Slightest of bricking, secondary flavors just emerging. Perfect for a 15 degree winter evening with meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Solid 94.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/17/2023 - weezie Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very nice, well balanced with classic (albeit somewhat subtle) northern Rhone character. In many ways this was light and super relative to expectations but that is not to say it was lacking in structure. Was good to go straight from the decanter, but it opened and grew a bit more expressive after 45+ minutes of air. Had I purchased this retail I'd say it was a pretty good QPR.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/4/2023 - soyhead wrote:
Velvety and sleek, this is a charming dark fruited wine that has lots of complexity, as well as excellent verve. I’m a big fan of this wine’s juicy generosity which grows on me with each sip.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/19/2022 - Jeanda wrote: flawed
Nez intense mais animal (bret ?). Ne part pas avec l'aération, donc pas réduit. Dommage car le bouche est somptueuse : soyeuse, charnue et bien équilibrée. Les 2 bouteilles ont développé ce nez animal. A revoir
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/24/2022 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
Decanted and served. this could well use a lot more at this age.
We hunt these bottles on restaurant wine lists as they offer solid value. And this was no exception with dark, fresh fruit, soft smoky, plums, and lots of spice. Surprisingly approachable and welcoming. Guess this was St Joseph frankly. 92
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/9/2022 - Jeanda Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nez un peu timide sur les fruits noirs et la violette. Bouche aux tanins soyeux, d'une grande pureté et parfaitement équilibrée. Un vin racé qui impressionne aujourd'hui plus par la perfection de sa bouche que par la complexité de son nez.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/17/2021 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Whew that is stinky. In a good way. Little bit of poo in there.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/4/2021 - nmichaud1 Likes this wine:
Une syrah tellement concentré, mauve dans le verre. Le nez est beaucoup plus plaisant que le dernier vin de Clape bu il y a quelques années. C'est gourmand, facile à boire et vraiment textbook Cornas. Un délice.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/21/2021 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:
Deeply pitched, dark and sooty. There are notes of black olive, tar and smoked meats too. Briary fruits are warming and just a tad blocky. There's good depth, excellent acidity and a long, savoury finish. Perfect with cassoulet.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/1/2021 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Great Cornas Virtual Tasting (Chicagoland IL): Opened 3 hours before tasting. Black cherry and plum with roasted meat, black pepper and licorice. So much here with good weight and great balance. Wow, what a friendly wine, which surprised me because it was so completely backward when tasted two years ago in Mauves.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/1/2021 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Power and more feral than I remember it.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/1/2021 - Tgood wrote: 93 Points
Dense glass staining red black pig, - just inderripe raspberries and fresh floral nose w graphite, olive tampenade and bitter chocolate arriving in support on palate - crisp acids and ample fine grained peppery tannins let the show stay in nce focus and balance until bitter olive notes linger at close. The wine is light and vibrant belying the intensity of pigment. Qpr bout right for a known known.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/25/2020 - markydecker Likes this wine: 94 Points
The definition of perfect balance between fruit, tannin, acidity and extraction. A slight hint of damp earth and dark berries on the nose. So young and fresh, agree with others that this is accessible now with at least a one hour decant. Very young and will improve but there is no shame in partaking now. The genius of Auguste Clape is legendary. A perfect accompaniment to Christmas Eve dinner with family.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/20/2020 - jmoon Likes this wine: 93 Points
Surprisingly accessible now, pop and pour. Classic N Rhone Syrah notes, dark with some great farmyard action, quite juicy and fresh with fairly soft tannins. No problem to drink now.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/21/2020 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
More barnyard and funk. Linear and focused. Tight.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/15/2020 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Super floral and direct across the palate. A baby now, to lay down.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/27/2019 - Andre Brattland wrote: 93 Points
Really classic aromas with perfect balance between tightness and fresh tones. Slightly wild red berries, young blackcurrants, leather, salt, smoke and distinctly animal. Seductive. Good full-bodied wine with pronounced freshness of red berries and clear salt flavors. Does not have the depth of a big brother, but this will drink lovely already in a few years. Very delicate and good Cornas. 93 points.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/27/2019 - whits Likes this wine: 93 Points
dark and inky, loads of violet and cooked berry aromas, large, youthful, fresh, the palate is dominated by unctuous flavors of blueberry, blackberry, plum, damp earth, mineral and tobacco, tannin is obvious at this stage, yet the wine whispers innocent threats in the ears and seduces at an intellectual level, pair with fatty red meat, a beauty, going to say drink with short decant or hold
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/8/2019 - d'Artagnan wrote:
Visite au Domaine Auguste Clape (Au domaine): 2016 Renaissance
Très fruit noir, bouche juteuse, se boit bien. Pas trop dur, belle bouteille mais à garder.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/16/2019 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Découvertes en Vallée du Rhône; 4/15/2019-4/16/2019 (Ampuis, Mauves and Tain-l'Hermitage): Walk around tasting talking with the producers, brief note. Black, dense and brooding. Very impressive weight but not even close to accessible today. Earth notes everywhere. Very long finish. So tough to assess.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/10/2019 - acyso wrote: 88 Points
Rhone, lots of it (Chicago, IL): The nose shows a little bit of stink, but that is soon covered over by the nice fruit elements. The palate is obviously a bit simpler, and this isn't the most complex example of Cornas, but there's plenty to like nonetheless. The fruit is ample and sweet, and the palate comes across with more purity than I typically find in Clape. There's some slight heat on the finish.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment