Either this was an off bottle or it needed more air-time than we could give it. There were very intriguing elements but they never meshed. The fruit was demure and there wasn’t much tannin so the acidity stood out and bordered on shrill. It wasn’t bad but not what I expected.
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In spite of a crumbly cork and a fine dust of cork particles in the first glass which my strainer was unable to stop, this was a beautiful wine and much more expressive than my 2019 bottle. Medium bodied and harmonious showing subtle gracious fruit impregnated with cherry, violet, a balsamic hint and a touch of iron allied to good depth and length, velvety texture and residual structure supporting the finish. Somewhere in the mid-90s, perhaps due to generation change, the wines at Clape became much more suave and civilized without falling into a placeless international trap. Some people regret the passing of the previously typical slight rusticity and roughness but I find it impossible not to love a bottle like this. Excellent.
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Closing in on maturity, barnyard, iron and violets on the nose. Rustic in the best sense of the word, marks of iodine, granite, meat, burnt soil. It’s lighter bodied compared to the massive 1999, almost elegant. Great wine, once again, and a great vintage for Cornas in general. Clape tasting chez Lillelund.
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Clape is always the most refined and sophisticated of Cornas, with dark fruits of great purity and freshness, a concentrated mouth with exquisite velvet texture. Cellared since original release.
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Return to La Trompette (La Trompette, Chiswick): Slightly reticent on the nose, but there is some lovely dark fruit, black olive, with attractive saline notes. It's medium/full bodied on the palate, quite lean and muscular but with much to enjoy and admire, dark fruited, spice, soil, firm tannins, vibrant acidity, good length grippy, soily finish. Gives the impression that it's just starting to loosen and unfurl.
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If you want to know exactly what the vintage benchmark is year after year it's this. At this point with Clape that's the most I can say about it. It's in the blood there.
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Deep red colour. Beautifully restrained, but clearly syrah on the nose. Stating that because of the burgundian elegance. Meaty initially,and gaining increasing elegance over 15-30-60 minutes. In the mouth fresh and juicy. Plenty of fruit. super elegant and above all: balance. Everything sits just right. Long and deeply satisfying aftertaste. A Classic at it’s absolute peak.
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This was aromatically rather subdued both on the nose and palate. The medium++ bodied palate was well balanced and smooth textured with by now civilised tannins but overall there was a lack of expressiveness which surprised in view of other vintages from this source and the experience of other contributors. I will decant my remaining bottle in the hope of opening up the aromatics. Good nevertheless.
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A superb Cornas, in a very good place right now. Double decanted a few hours before starting on it. Initially some iodine notes on the nose. Then violets, meat. A layered and structured palate, with good grip/acidity. Still showing some lightly gritty tannins; some wonderful secondary notes of earth, meat, minerals. A real pleasure!
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Interesting nose with black olives,smoke,earth,and a mix of dark & red fruit.Beautiful and complex palate with well balanced acidity and tannins and maybe a hint of a green note on the back palate.Fully mature,there is no reason to hold this for further development.
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At first very elegant, still young, the fine fruit is showing well, very stringent wine; with air, a more savage side of this is showing, it becomes more Cornas, yet very elegant. Grand Vin,m only in the beginning of it's drinking window. #PB
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A very young showing and clearly more polished than the Levet and Balthazar but overall just a fantastic wine. There's a lot of fruit here and as the wine opens up this the wild, rugged side to Cornas reveals it self more and more. There's notes of iodine, tapenade, dark plums and smoke. A fantastic wine. Impromptu night at home with Niels.
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This showed a bit younger and less developed than a previous bottle I drank, but it was still very compelling; After 2 hours of air, there are some emerging aromas of olive tapenade, mesquite and tobacco; The palate is still fairly densely packed, with slightly coarse tannins on the finish; Ultimately, a very satisfying, mature Cornas that I was very happy to drink
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This is quite expressive even upon opening; The nose has a very pungent notes of olive tapenade, tobacco and licorice, with a hint of VA that didn't really bother me; The palate is classic Cornas, full of roasted black fruits, mesquite, pepper and bacon fat; Perhaps this is a little rugged and hard around the edges, but it's almost everything I want in a mature Cornas
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Two 1998s: Brodie matched my Piemontese wine with this wine, served blind. Deeper, darker colour than the Conterno. On bouquet, quite a lot of dry, dusty soil and woody bracken. Red fruited. With time in the glass, an attractive violet top note emerged. On palate, the flavours were similar to the nose with excellent, refreshing acidity. The wine seemed quite "old school" with very discrete oak handling. Preserved and dried plum and other red fruit. Old leather saddle and rusty iron. That clay earthiness put me in mind of a Cornas immediately. The Clape was relatively approachable but would, again, benefit from cellaring another 10 years. Still, very enjoyable ...
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Dark red color, garnet-edged. Heavy, powerful nose of cherry and raspberry compote, leather, olives, BBQ smoke, tar, celery seed, garrigue. On arrival, medium tannin and medium acidity. Very stout structure. In the mouth, the fruity-savory balance is superb, a true mid-life Cornas. Long, satisfying, rich finish. The emptied glass reeks of cleriac, olives, cherry, smoke, tar. I'm going to keep opening this bottling every few months now, as the combination of bottle development and power is irresistible. Bottle #9 of twelve.
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Dark earth, black olive, roasted meat, dark fruit and dry leaves on the nose. Deep palate with a very dirty finish that ends with slightly grippy tannins. Decanted one hour, consumed over two. This wine needs another five years in the bottle. Consumed with mushroom risotto. 92+
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Very classy old-style Northern Rhone. Meaty, peppery with hints of olive. Good acidity. This wine was spot on with butterflied leg of lamb. Excellent to Outstanding.
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This is showing pretty damn young still right now. Lovely aromatics with lots of meat and olive character. There's a lot of stuff going on under a relatively simple veneer on the palate. The acidity is the prominent character here, but under that is a lot of animale and meatiness, mixed with a slight bit of earth and tapenade. Apparently this bottle was decanted around 3pm, but could definitely use more air (or time in the cellar, if you don't decide to pop one). Really good, classically-styled Cornas.
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Dark red color, some garnet. Slow to open nose, but in two hours strong and savory: tar, leather, olives, black pepper, hint of campfire, roasted red fruit (cherry, plum, raspberry). On arrival, medium tannin and medium-low acidity. Cherry-plum more in the mouth than nose. So solid and correct medium-long finish. We can't resist opening this vintage, despite its obvious potential to hold for a long future. Bottle #8 of twelve.
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Dark red color, slight garnet edge. Assertive nose, immediate: olives, black pepper, wood smoke, burnt cherry, mixed garrigue. On arrival, medium fine tannin and medium-low acidity; elegant structure. Flavors repeat the elements from the nose, both fruity and savory, and in great harmony. Sustained finish, wicked good. With oak-grilled rabbit paella, memorable. Bottle #6 of twelve.
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Dark red-black color. Huge nose, of campfire smoke, menthol, olives, garrigue and cherry. Medium tannin and medium acidity; youthful structure starting to break down. In the mouth, simply wonderful balance between fruit and savory elements, all repeating from the nose. Black pepper shows in the finish, Bottle #5 of twelve.
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Smoke, red currant and black olive. Silky smooth and drinking fantastically. Not quite at the level of a couple of previous bottles but fantastic nonetheless.
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2007 Burgundies for Brodie and Raz (Wellington, New Zealand): Brought by Brodie to compare with my Homage. Deep, fairly primary red. Expressive aromatics of warm clay, black olives, spices, dry brushwood, old spicy plums and game meats. The nose blossomed with a couple of hours in the glass. Very primary on the palate, I guessed it was a 2007 Hermitage. Real structure, dry extract and power here, with good length. A really complex and interesting flavour profile of spices, warm clay, underbrush, bloody meat and rusty iron around a core of mainly red berry fruits. There was an interesting astringency of the tannins, and some rusticity, suggesting that ideally this wine should be given another five years. Decant thoroughly if you open now.
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Stunning aromatics that are intense and wonderfully complex and dominated by notes of olive tapenade, smoked meat and earth. Seamless palate that is beautifully balanced. Drinking so well. Everything I could want in a Northern Rhone syrah. This is one of my very favorite vintages of Clape along with the '91.
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Had the 1998 and 2004 together. Both were lovely but naturally the 1998 had more mature notes of game and barnyard on the nose. Both were really fresh and could have lived for many more years. The 1998 was more supple and complete than the 2004.
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Really solid and beautifully Cornas in a lean, attenuated style. Bright acids with some underlying funk that was subtly backbeat to whole. Good fruit. Medium finish. Very enjoyable.
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Leiden Clape Cornas tasting March 2013 (Leiden, The Netherlands): Dark fruit nose, roasted meat, pepper, ink. Taste full bodied, dark fruit, full bodied, a bit cabernet like. A few hours after opening this wine improved considerably losing its cabernet like tones and becoming more Cornas.
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Excellent big fruit and funk on the nose. Lots of character and drinkability. Showing some age, a bit short on the finish. Truly happy to share this with OC offline Rhones and Bones, and get to share bottle with its original owners, W_S. Thanks Tim!
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Decant for sediment (plenty), aerated 60 minutes and return to bottle. Cork in good-very good cond. Sadly, the last bottle from a case purchased on release. Even more sadly, this still seems like it has more spells to cast. Consistent with prior bottles this was very satisfying and more complex than a simple Sunday dinner probably deserved. 13% abv, drink thru 2017
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Med dark. Lively rich earthy dark fruit, bright, blueberry and violet, licorice and pepper. Gorgeous. Fine furry tannins, med wt fruit, thinning slightly, dark fruit and black pepper spice. Nice blueberry and red plum, violets and light licorice.
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Casual dinner at Home (Vancouver, BC): Wow, this nose rocks! Funky, meaty, bell pepper and red fruits jump from the glass with classic Cornas typicity. Entry is smooth and shockingly polished but then firms up and finishes with beautifully rustic and old school structure. Firm tannins with a long red fruited and meaty finish. I love this wine for its purity and transparency. While it’s great to drink now, it has a long and bright future. Excellent. 92+
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Stunningly good! Nearly five years since my last bottle, and worth the wait. One of those power-without-weight wines. Loads of minerals, earth and iron, along with a solid core of deep fruit with hints of anise, and oh so long. Flat-out terrific.
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Popped & poured. The nose was quite medicinal upon opening, but this blew off to reveal rich dark fruits and complex aromas of earth, roasted meats, spices and funk. Still developing, this has the structure to last a long time and will no doubt improve. Fantastic!
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Decanted 1 hr, enjoyed over the following 3 hours. Plenty of sediment. The dark ruby color is the first thing that catches my attention - this wine is still youthful. With only a bit of age showing, the aromatics are, as well, quite primary. Barnyard, some brett, garrigue, sun-scorched galets all give way to meat and spice as it unwinds in the glass. On the palate, very gentle, but seriously well composed, with plenty of life ahead of it. Tannins are integrated, but offer plenty of grip. Medium + finish, medium toward full-bodied. The texture is superb. A wine to savor, with upside expected. Drink thru 2019, 13% abv.
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Purple color. Very nice nose of earth, lavender, pepper, and leather. Unfortunately the palate did not deliver. Although decanted for 90 minutes, the fruit was muted and flat with a short finish. Probably poor storage, although the cork was depressed. Very disappointing.
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Slow O for 3 hours, consumed over the following 2 hours. UTPK nailed it. I too have had this several times since release and it's pretty much in a holding pattern in that it's ageing pretty slowly. Be ready for lots and lots of barnyard funk (and sediment!) on the nose that slowly gives way to roasted meat and game notes. Pundits be damned, this was a fine year for this producer/wine. Secondary notes are on the horizon. 13,0% abv.
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5th bottle since release. Surprisingly tight and young, it has not changed a bit since last time I tasted it, which is 2-3 years ago! It needs 2 hours decanting before it opens up with a gorgeous nose of dark chocolate, rosemary, bacon and some dark fruit. It is medium body with a very succulent palate due to the extremely well integrated acidity and tannins. The tannins have just the right grip, and it is pleasure to drink, even more so with food because it cleanses the mouth very well. Great bottle from a less great year (on paper...)
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I hope this was a bottle with condition issues because it was awfully dull and weak, almost to the point of anonymity. Lacked bouquet, character, complexity, and length. No sediment, which I found odd.
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Brought to a Rhone tasting hosted by some friends. Opened this towards the end of the night. Still ruby in color, light and clear. Initially upon opening the nose had a band-aide barnyard funk smell to it. Given the opportunity to sit it leaned more to tart red fruits and a little floral. Taste was bright but not explosive red fruits up front with a seamless transition to mid where a bit more pepper came through. Finish was all about the velvety tannins that covered your mouth.
Tasting beautiful right now.
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A good bottle in a very nice stage. I´ve had also another which was a disappointment. Leather, stable and a little spices with dark berries. Still nice fruit left. Good length. A classy wine.
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I don't often smell corks, but the aroma just overwhelmed the room upon opening. Violets, bacon fat, tar, black pepper beautiful fruit. It's muscular, but held in check by tannins that are finally old enough to enjoy. It's cornas.
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Verset Vertical, Avec Others: I admit it, on the first sip I might have liked this even better than the Verset. It's heavier on the fruit and not as evocatively extra-vinous as the Versets, but it was nevertheless impressive for its definition, making a more three-dimensional impression than most of the other wines. A very sophisticated structure and a wine with shape as well as flavor.
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Brilliant ruby color. Redolent with flavors of dark fruit, black licorice/anise, truffles, animal fur, and olives. Pungent minerality and spice, with a moderately long finish. Classic Clape. For the medium term.
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Served with grilled flank steak. The clear, medium garnet color is deceiving for a Syrah based wine. Unmistakable Northern Rhone aromas of sauvage, animal and grilled meats. Sharply tannic at first, no doubt this needs air. About an hour later, this is starting to sing as the aromas begin to soar with wet leather and a distinct herbal note. The palate begins to flesh out though the grippy tannins continue to cling. The smooth silky texture, the refined fruit speaks to the breed of Clap's vines. This is still a teenager but maturity is approaching. The tannins need to refine a bit. Another 3-5 yrs should do the trick.
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I opened this as part of big dinner party and not sure it got all the air it needed. I had some but my guests just loved it, and not the typical fans of barnyard wine. They loved it, but I did not spend the time needed. I liked but did not love, but frankly, too much wine going on.
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Classic Clape, all the typical elements. This had been decanted which opened it up but I will hazard a guess and say that I also think this diminished it a bit and the expense of opening it up. I really felt that this needed a couple more year and not decanted.
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Very dark color. At first, inexpressive nose of spice, muste on entry followed by slow explosion of dark austere power. The action is at the back of the tongue, very tannic. Over an hour, opens nicely, spreading out, pleasant dark leafy funk on nose, on blackberry and other bitter sweet fruit, some clove. Still very tannic. Wish we'd had hours to let the wine open. Or years to age.
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First sampling of a Clape Cornas. Uncorked and enjoyed over the next 5 hours. Beautiful dark garnet color with slight lightening at the edges. A most captivating nose of blackberries, iodine, and violets, and beef blood which seemed to expand with each swirling of the glass. Palate was a deftly-defined stream of exuberant plum and blackberry fruit intermixed with tar, pepper, and leather. Tannins were very present but nicely offset by a certain glycerin-like quality to the fruit. Finish was fairly long, grippy, and extremely satisfying. Wow, Clape's experienced hand has revealed his vineyard's secrets beautifully.
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The color is a dark, nearly impenetrable purple. The nose is full of dark fruits and leather. The palate is tannic, chewey, and somewhat austere. The finish is tannic. After a couple days in the decanter, the nose has the unmistakeable scent of black olives. More leather, and some animal fur. Medium weight on the palate. The finish is still harshly tannic but reveals some cherry and plum. Clipped short by the tannins. A very powerful, intense wine. Lots of potential here. Should wait 5+ years before opening another. If drinking now, decant 12+ hours before drinking and watch out for the sediment. 50 + 5 + 12 + 15 + 8
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Oh my, what a nose. The first thing that comes to mind is "animal." Showing plenty of leather, with a vague hint of herbs and lavender. Throws quite a bit of sediment. On the palate it starts off quite backward and unyielding. The tannins are evident, but quite silky for Cornas. Really opens up nicely from black fruits to reveal some red fruits, with juicy acidity. The palate, although very good, doesn't quite live up to the promise of the nose, which continues to evolve and captivate. Needs at least a few more years. Two days later, without any preservative, the wine is lovely; the nose is a bit more subdued with nice herbs and a hint of anise, and the tannins have mellowed and the palate is silky and loaded with black fruit and licorice. Very nice.
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A nice bit of funk on the nose, fruit poking through after a couple of hours, balanced, but still quite tight. Good potential to improve over the next 3-5 years.
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2/17/2023 - VDLT Wine wrote:
Either this was an off bottle or it needed more air-time than we could give it. There were very intriguing elements but they never meshed. The fruit was demure and there wasn’t much tannin so the acidity stood out and bordered on shrill. It wasn’t bad but not what I expected.
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1/17/2023 - MC2 Wines wrote:
Commanderie des Costes du Rhone - Spring 2023 Kick-off (Gabriel Kruether): Much more classic in style. All well integrated. In the middle of a lot of CdPs a welcome respite. Very enjoyable wine.
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1/15/2023 - eboracum Likes this wine: 93 Points
In spite of a crumbly cork and a fine dust of cork particles in the first glass which my strainer was unable to stop, this was a beautiful wine and much more expressive than my 2019 bottle. Medium bodied and harmonious showing subtle gracious fruit impregnated with cherry, violet, a balsamic hint and a touch of iron allied to good depth and length, velvety texture and residual structure supporting the finish. Somewhere in the mid-90s, perhaps due to generation change, the wines at Clape became much more suave and civilized without falling into a placeless international trap. Some people regret the passing of the previously typical slight rusticity and roughness but I find it impossible not to love a bottle like this. Excellent.
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2/28/2022 - pbaek wrote:
Closing in on maturity, barnyard, iron and violets on the nose. Rustic in the best sense of the word, marks of iodine, granite, meat, burnt soil. It’s lighter bodied compared to the massive 1999, almost elegant. Great wine, once again, and a great vintage for Cornas in general. Clape tasting chez Lillelund.
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2/28/2022 - beatles wrote: 94 Points
Mean machine, mature, barnyard, speaks of the land. a true wine, soil to glass - compared to 99, this has more local feel.
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2/24/2022 - decaturwinedude wrote: 94 Points
A Good Wednesday: Mix Tape: Seleque, '97 Baumard, '98 Moines, '11 Roche Blanche, '98 Clape, '98 Jamet, '89 Sorrel, '95 QdC; 2/23/2022-2/25/2022: Neck and neck with 98 Jamet next to it. Deep, dark, fall weather-Cornas-nose. This showed a tad fresher initially. Brighter. Polished. Classy. Olive and meat come on. Dark fruit, spice, smoked meat. Almost youthful. Long. Very good.
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2/20/2022 - cfk49 wrote: 95 Points
Clape is always the most refined and sophisticated of Cornas, with dark fruits of great purity and freshness, a concentrated mouth with exquisite velvet texture. Cellared since original release.
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5/19/2021 - Paul D wrote: 93 Points
Return to La Trompette (La Trompette, Chiswick): Slightly reticent on the nose, but there is some lovely dark fruit, black olive, with attractive saline notes. It's medium/full bodied on the palate, quite lean and muscular but with much to enjoy and admire, dark fruited, spice, soil, firm tannins, vibrant acidity, good length grippy, soily finish. Gives the impression that it's just starting to loosen and unfurl.
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2/21/2021 - slanum wrote: flawed
Pungently bretty, a common flaw in Clape's wines in my experience.
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8/31/2020 - blisscompound Likes this wine: 91 Points
If you want to know exactly what the vintage benchmark is year after year it's this. At this point with Clape that's the most I can say about it. It's in the blood there.
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4/2/2020 - Thomas123 wrote: 99 Points
Deep red colour. Beautifully restrained, but clearly syrah on the nose. Stating that because of the burgundian elegance. Meaty initially,and gaining increasing elegance over 15-30-60 minutes. In the mouth fresh and juicy. Plenty of fruit. super elegant and above all: balance. Everything sits just right. Long and deeply satisfying aftertaste. A Classic at it’s absolute peak.
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11/10/2019 - eboracum wrote: 89 Points
This was aromatically rather subdued both on the nose and palate. The medium++ bodied palate was well balanced and smooth textured with by now civilised tannins but overall there was a lack of expressiveness which surprised in view of other vintages from this source and the experience of other contributors. I will decant my remaining bottle in the hope of opening up the aromatics. Good nevertheless.
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10/5/2019 - LWI wrote: 93 Points
Promising
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6/23/2018 - xwine wrote:
A superb Cornas, in a very good place right now. Double decanted a few hours before starting on it. Initially some iodine notes on the nose. Then violets, meat. A layered and structured palate, with good grip/acidity. Still showing some lightly gritty tannins; some wonderful secondary notes of earth, meat, minerals. A real pleasure!
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2/27/2018 - valedeniro wrote: 92 Points
Interesting nose with black olives,smoke,earth,and a mix of dark & red fruit.Beautiful and complex palate with well balanced acidity and tannins and maybe a hint of a green note on the back palate.Fully mature,there is no reason to hold this for further development.
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10/24/2017 - beatles wrote: 94 Points
At first very elegant, still young, the fine fruit is showing well, very stringent wine; with air, a more savage side of this is showing, it becomes more Cornas, yet very elegant. Grand Vin,m only in the beginning of it's drinking window. #PB
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10/24/2017 - pbaek wrote:
A very young showing and clearly more polished than the Levet and Balthazar but overall just a fantastic wine. There's a lot of fruit here and as the wine opens up this the wild, rugged side to Cornas reveals it self more and more. There's notes of iodine, tapenade, dark plums and smoke. A fantastic wine. Impromptu night at home with Niels.
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10/21/2017 - eluebchow wrote: 93 Points
This showed a bit younger and less developed than a previous bottle I drank, but it was still very compelling; After 2 hours of air, there are some emerging aromas of olive tapenade, mesquite and tobacco; The palate is still fairly densely packed, with slightly coarse tannins on the finish; Ultimately, a very satisfying, mature Cornas that I was very happy to drink
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5/9/2016 - eluebchow wrote: 94 Points
This is quite expressive even upon opening; The nose has a very pungent notes of olive tapenade, tobacco and licorice, with a hint of VA that didn't really bother me; The palate is classic Cornas, full of roasted black fruits, mesquite, pepper and bacon fat; Perhaps this is a little rugged and hard around the edges, but it's almost everything I want in a mature Cornas
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4/18/2016 - HowardNZ Likes this wine:
Two 1998s: Brodie matched my Piemontese wine with this wine, served blind. Deeper, darker colour than the Conterno. On bouquet, quite a lot of dry, dusty soil and woody bracken. Red fruited. With time in the glass, an attractive violet top note emerged. On palate, the flavours were similar to the nose with excellent, refreshing acidity. The wine seemed quite "old school" with very discrete oak handling. Preserved and dried plum and other red fruit. Old leather saddle and rusty iron. That clay earthiness put me in mind of a Cornas immediately. The Clape was relatively approachable but would, again, benefit from cellaring another 10 years. Still, very enjoyable ...
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2/14/2016 - Hodby wrote: 94 Points
Dark red color, garnet-edged. Heavy, powerful nose of cherry and raspberry compote, leather, olives, BBQ smoke, tar, celery seed, garrigue. On arrival, medium tannin and medium acidity. Very stout structure. In the mouth, the fruity-savory balance is superb, a true mid-life Cornas. Long, satisfying, rich finish. The emptied glass reeks of cleriac, olives, cherry, smoke, tar. I'm going to keep opening this bottling every few months now, as the combination of bottle development and power is irresistible. Bottle #9 of twelve.
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12/12/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark earth, black olive, roasted meat, dark fruit and dry leaves on the nose. Deep palate with a very dirty finish that ends with slightly grippy tannins. Decanted one hour, consumed over two. This wine needs another five years in the bottle. Consumed with mushroom risotto. 92+
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11/21/2015 - theRealPepe Likes this wine:
Very classy old-style Northern Rhone. Meaty, peppery with hints of olive. Good acidity. This wine was spot on with butterflied leg of lamb. Excellent to Outstanding.
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11/2/2015 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
This is showing pretty damn young still right now. Lovely aromatics with lots of meat and olive character. There's a lot of stuff going on under a relatively simple veneer on the palate. The acidity is the prominent character here, but under that is a lot of animale and meatiness, mixed with a slight bit of earth and tapenade. Apparently this bottle was decanted around 3pm, but could definitely use more air (or time in the cellar, if you don't decide to pop one). Really good, classically-styled Cornas.
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10/14/2015 - LWI wrote: 94 Points
Restrained and elegant wine with some eucalyptus, dark berries and pepper. Most youthful.
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9/14/2015 - Hodby wrote: 93 Points
Dark red color, some garnet. Slow to open nose, but in two hours strong and savory: tar, leather, olives, black pepper, hint of campfire, roasted red fruit (cherry, plum, raspberry). On arrival, medium tannin and medium-low acidity. Cherry-plum more in the mouth than nose. So solid and correct medium-long finish. We can't resist opening this vintage, despite its obvious potential to hold for a long future. Bottle #8 of twelve.
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7/8/2015 - Hodby wrote: 94 Points
Dark red color, slight garnet edge. Assertive nose, immediate: olives, black pepper, wood smoke, burnt cherry, mixed garrigue. On arrival, medium fine tannin and medium-low acidity; elegant structure. Flavors repeat the elements from the nose, both fruity and savory, and in great harmony. Sustained finish, wicked good. With oak-grilled rabbit paella, memorable. Bottle #6 of twelve.
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12/29/2014 - Hodby wrote: 94 Points
Dark red-black color. Huge nose, of campfire smoke, menthol, olives, garrigue and cherry. Medium tannin and medium acidity; youthful structure starting to break down. In the mouth, simply wonderful balance between fruit and savory elements, all repeating from the nose. Black pepper shows in the finish, Bottle #5 of twelve.
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12/26/2014 - bill00 wrote: 94 Points
Smoke, red currant and black olive. Silky smooth and drinking fantastically. Not quite at the level of a couple of previous bottles but fantastic nonetheless.
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10/15/2014 - Sundbyberg wrote: 92 Points
Good but not great. Close to mature, a bit sweet but not very complex.
Decant 1-2 hours.
@Clancy's, New Orleans
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8/9/2014 - bill00 wrote: 95 Points
Another great bottle with similar notes to one from a few months ago.
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7/19/2014 - HowardNZ Likes this wine:
2007 Burgundies for Brodie and Raz (Wellington, New Zealand): Brought by Brodie to compare with my Homage. Deep, fairly primary red. Expressive aromatics of warm clay, black olives, spices, dry brushwood, old spicy plums and game meats. The nose blossomed with a couple of hours in the glass. Very primary on the palate, I guessed it was a 2007 Hermitage. Real structure, dry extract and power here, with good length. A really complex and interesting flavour profile of spices, warm clay, underbrush, bloody meat and rusty iron around a core of mainly red berry fruits. There was an interesting astringency of the tannins, and some rusticity, suggesting that ideally this wine should be given another five years. Decant thoroughly if you open now.
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4/20/2014 - bill00 wrote: 96 Points
Stunning aromatics that are intense and wonderfully complex and dominated by notes of olive tapenade, smoked meat and earth. Seamless palate that is beautifully balanced. Drinking so well. Everything I could want in a Northern Rhone syrah. This is one of my very favorite vintages of Clape along with the '91.
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11/2/2013 - UTPK wrote:
Had the 1998 and 2004 together. Both were lovely but naturally the 1998 had more mature notes of game and barnyard on the nose. Both were really fresh and could have lived for many more years. The 1998 was more supple and complete than the 2004.
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5/29/2013 - AndrewSGHall wrote:
Really solid and beautifully Cornas in a lean, attenuated style. Bright acids with some underlying funk that was subtly backbeat to whole. Good fruit. Medium finish. Very enjoyable.
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3/9/2013 - Burgaddict wrote: 91 Points
Leiden Clape Cornas tasting March 2013 (Leiden, The Netherlands): Dark fruit nose, roasted meat, pepper, ink. Taste full bodied, dark fruit, full bodied, a bit cabernet like. A few hours after opening this wine improved considerably losing its cabernet like tones and becoming more Cornas.
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2/24/2013 - ChrisinCowiche wrote: 91 Points
Excellent big fruit and funk on the nose. Lots of character and drinkability. Showing some age, a bit short on the finish. Truly happy to share this with OC offline Rhones and Bones, and get to share bottle with its original owners, W_S. Thanks Tim!
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1/13/2013 - Tim Heaton wrote:
Decant for sediment (plenty), aerated 60 minutes and return to bottle. Cork in good-very good cond. Sadly, the last bottle from a case purchased on release. Even more sadly, this still seems like it has more spells to cast. Consistent with prior bottles this was very satisfying and more complex than a simple Sunday dinner probably deserved. 13% abv, drink thru 2017
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11/9/2012 - Vini Ciclismo Likes this wine: 93 Points
Med dark. Lively rich earthy dark fruit, bright, blueberry and violet, licorice and pepper. Gorgeous.
Fine furry tannins, med wt fruit, thinning slightly, dark fruit and black pepper spice. Nice blueberry and red plum, violets and light licorice.
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6/9/2012 - godx wrote: 92 Points
Casual dinner at Home (Vancouver, BC): Wow, this nose rocks! Funky, meaty, bell pepper and red fruits jump from the glass with classic Cornas typicity. Entry is smooth and shockingly polished but then firms up and finishes with beautifully rustic and old school structure. Firm tannins with a long red fruited and meaty finish. I love this wine for its purity and transparency. While it’s great to drink now, it has a long and bright future. Excellent. 92+
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2/16/2012 - Yagil wrote: 89 Points
dark red-purple
quality earthy spicy aroma
full body, balanced tannins & bitterness, mature flavors, good harmony, pleasant aftertaste
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2/10/2012 - xwine wrote:
Stunningly good! Nearly five years since my last bottle, and worth the wait. One of those power-without-weight wines. Loads of minerals, earth and iron, along with a solid core of deep fruit with hints of anise, and oh so long. Flat-out terrific.
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10/29/2011 - dmalcolm wrote: 92 Points
Popped & poured. The nose was quite medicinal upon opening, but this blew off to reveal rich dark fruits and complex aromas of earth, roasted meats, spices and funk. Still developing, this has the structure to last a long time and will no doubt improve. Fantastic!
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8/28/2011 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
Decanted 1 hr, enjoyed over the following 3 hours. Plenty of sediment. The dark ruby color is the first thing that catches my attention - this wine is still youthful. With only a bit of age showing, the aromatics are, as well, quite primary. Barnyard, some brett, garrigue, sun-scorched galets all give way to meat and spice as it unwinds in the glass. On the palate, very gentle, but seriously well composed, with plenty of life ahead of it. Tannins are integrated, but offer plenty of grip. Medium + finish, medium toward full-bodied. The texture is superb. A wine to savor, with upside expected. Drink thru 2019, 13% abv.
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5/29/2011 - DougLee wrote: 85 Points
Purple color. Very nice nose of earth, lavender, pepper, and leather. Unfortunately the palate did not deliver. Although decanted for 90 minutes, the fruit was muted and flat with a short finish. Probably poor storage, although the cork was depressed. Very disappointing.
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1/11/2011 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
Slow O for 3 hours, consumed over the following 2 hours. UTPK nailed it. I too have had this several times since release and it's pretty much in a holding pattern in that it's ageing pretty slowly. Be ready for lots and lots of barnyard funk (and sediment!) on the nose that slowly gives way to roasted meat and game notes. Pundits be damned, this was a fine year for this producer/wine. Secondary notes are on the horizon. 13,0% abv.
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9/25/2010 - UTPK wrote:
5th bottle since release. Surprisingly tight and young, it has not changed a bit since last time I tasted it, which is 2-3 years ago! It needs 2 hours decanting before it opens up with a gorgeous nose of dark chocolate, rosemary, bacon and some dark fruit. It is medium body with a very succulent palate due to the extremely well integrated acidity and tannins. The tannins have just the right grip, and it is pleasure to drink, even more so with food because it cleanses the mouth very well. Great bottle from a less great year (on paper...)
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6/20/2010 - slanum wrote:
I hope this was a bottle with condition issues because it was awfully dull and weak, almost to the point of anonymity. Lacked bouquet, character, complexity, and length. No sediment, which I found odd.
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3/28/2010 - Bellissimo Likes this wine: 91 Points
Brought to a Rhone tasting hosted by some friends. Opened this towards the end of the night. Still ruby in color, light and clear. Initially upon opening the nose had a band-aide barnyard funk smell to it. Given the opportunity to sit it leaned more to tart red fruits and a little floral. Taste was bright but not explosive red fruits up front with a seamless transition to mid where a bit more pepper came through. Finish was all about the velvety tannins that covered your mouth.
Tasting beautiful right now.
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2/2/2010 - tahava wrote: 91 Points
A good bottle in a very nice stage. I´ve had also another which was a disappointment.
Leather, stable and a little spices with dark berries. Still nice fruit left. Good length. A classy wine.
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1/30/2010 - Colia wrote: 93 Points
I don't often smell corks, but the aroma just overwhelmed the room upon opening. Violets, bacon fat, tar, black pepper beautiful fruit. It's muscular, but held in check by tannins that are finally old enough to enjoy. It's cornas.
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6/11/2009 - Siggy wrote: 91 Points
Tasting Group Dinner - Chateauneuf at Heidi's (Heidi's & Our House, Minneapolis): Third time tasted; consistent with prior notes. Flowers, bacon, and black truffles, with a core of meaty, high-toned red fruit. Expressive and delicious.
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5/8/2009 - Keith Levenberg wrote: 93 Points
Verset Vertical, Avec Others: I admit it, on the first sip I might have liked this even better than the Verset. It's heavier on the fruit and not as evocatively extra-vinous as the Versets, but it was nevertheless impressive for its definition, making a more three-dimensional impression than most of the other wines. A very sophisticated structure and a wine with shape as well as flavor.
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5/7/2009 - henrychinaski wrote: 92 Points
A bit of sweetness on the nose combined with wet leather and horsiness (love it!). Lacked the acidity and tannins of the Verset.
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4/25/2009 - Siggy wrote: 92 Points
Brilliant ruby color. Redolent with flavors of dark fruit, black licorice/anise, truffles, animal fur, and olives. Pungent minerality and spice, with a moderately long finish. Classic Clape. For the medium term.
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4/2/2009 - gregg g wrote:
Served with grilled flank steak. The clear, medium garnet color is deceiving for a Syrah based wine. Unmistakable Northern Rhone aromas of sauvage, animal and grilled meats. Sharply tannic at first, no doubt this needs air. About an hour later, this is starting to sing as the aromas begin to soar with wet leather and a distinct herbal note. The palate begins to flesh out though the grippy tannins continue to cling. The smooth silky texture, the refined fruit speaks to the breed of Clap's vines. This is still a teenager but maturity is approaching. The tannins need to refine a bit. Another 3-5 yrs should do the trick.
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3/12/2009 - Mr T wrote:
I opened this as part of big dinner party and not sure it got all the air it needed. I had some but my guests just loved it, and not the typical fans of barnyard wine. They loved it, but I did not spend the time needed. I liked but did not love, but frankly, too much wine going on.
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2/8/2009 - Brad L wrote:
Classic Clape, all the typical elements. This had been decanted which opened it up but I will hazard a guess and say that I also think this diminished it a bit and the expense of opening it up. I really felt that this needed a couple more year and not decanted.
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1/12/2009 - AndrewSGHall wrote: flawed
Cooked. Long seam of red up the cork. Baked and oxidized flavors.
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7/13/2008 - BailliSacks wrote: 92 Points
Very dark color. At first, inexpressive nose of spice, muste on entry followed by slow explosion of dark austere power. The action is at the back of the tongue, very tannic. Over an hour, opens nicely, spreading out, pleasant dark leafy funk on nose, on blackberry and other bitter sweet fruit, some clove. Still very tannic. Wish we'd had hours to let the wine open. Or years to age.
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5/17/2008 - DougLee wrote: 93 Points
First sampling of a Clape Cornas. Uncorked and enjoyed over the next 5 hours. Beautiful dark garnet color with slight lightening at the edges. A most captivating nose of blackberries, iodine, and violets, and beef blood which seemed to expand with each swirling of the glass. Palate was a deftly-defined stream of exuberant plum and blackberry fruit intermixed with tar, pepper, and leather. Tannins were very present but nicely offset by a certain glycerin-like quality to the fruit. Finish was fairly long, grippy, and extremely satisfying. Wow, Clape's experienced hand has revealed his vineyard's secrets beautifully.
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5/16/2007 - Siggy wrote:
2007 France Trip - Hauts Chassis, Duclaux, Dumaine, Clape (Northern Rhone): Open for business. Delicious, sappy red fruits, forest floor, and olives. Ripe tannins. Excellent.
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5/7/2007 - kris.h wrote: 90 Points
The color is a dark, nearly impenetrable purple. The nose is full of dark fruits and leather. The palate is tannic, chewey, and somewhat austere. The finish is tannic. After a couple days in the decanter, the nose has the unmistakeable scent of black olives. More leather, and some animal fur. Medium weight on the palate. The finish is still harshly tannic but reveals some cherry and plum. Clipped short by the tannins. A very powerful, intense wine. Lots of potential here. Should wait 5+ years before opening another. If drinking now, decant 12+ hours before drinking and watch out for the sediment. 50 + 5 + 12 + 15 + 8
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4/7/2007 - xwine wrote:
Oh my, what a nose. The first thing that comes to mind is "animal." Showing plenty of leather, with a vague hint of herbs and lavender. Throws quite a bit of sediment. On the palate it starts off quite backward and unyielding. The tannins are evident, but quite silky for Cornas. Really opens up nicely from black fruits to reveal some red fruits, with juicy acidity. The palate, although very good, doesn't quite live up to the promise of the nose, which continues to evolve and captivate. Needs at least a few more years. Two days later, without any preservative, the wine is lovely; the nose is a bit more subdued with nice herbs and a hint of anise, and the tannins have mellowed and the palate is silky and loaded with black fruit and licorice. Very nice.
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2/17/2007 - ScottG wrote: 90 Points
A nice bit of funk on the nose, fruit poking through after a couple of hours, balanced, but still quite tight. Good potential to improve over the next 3-5 years.
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