It’s very easy when writing about wine to fall into the habit of wittering mindlessly about how great everything is.
This guy is passionate, this persons wine is fantastic, on and on and on and on… I heard Tim Atkin talking about Klein Constantia on Radio 4 the other day. Great wine no doubt, but the whole thing had the feel of a thirty minute advertorial. It makes me want to write a wine column where all I do is slag-off wines. I think there could be a gap in the market since the Wine Advocate started basically giving every wine 88-100 points. The omission of a domaine is the only sign they are doing things right (Or I’m yet to get to them) – I might call it the Wine Antagonist.
Happily, or sadly depending on your perspective, one name you would never see me write about is Clape.
I am sadly though, not the only one to have come to this realisation. The paucity of older vintages on the market is testament to how well these wines are prized. We were very lucky to get the chance to try the vintages below. Olivier mentioned as an aside that they have less then 12 bottles of most of their older vintages. Still – you imagine they’ve had some good dinners over the years.
John Livingstone-Learmonth puts it well when when he says: “There should be a stone to Auguste Clape in the northern Rhône. A stone would suit more than a statue – it would be more fundamental and less pretentious. The legend on it should read something like ‘Wisdom, Integrity and Humanity.’ For this is an exceptional person.”
The first producer in Cornas to bottle his own production, Clape moved his production over from selling in barrel to offering in bottle in 1955. Throughout the next decade he moved towards bottling the entire lot and in 1969, there was none sent out. Following his leadership, local doyens Noel Verset and Robert Michel soon followed suit.
2015 St-Peray
The Clape family own 1 hectare St-Peray. They work hard to keep the freshness, particularly in a solar vintage like 2015. Aged 1/3 foudre, rest concrete, no battonage. Although it was hot, there was rain at the right moments says Oliver, but you sense this is not one of his favourite vintages. A little unformed at the moment, but thankfully without any pearey character, as you sometimes find. Not developed that much of interest in the moment, behind a wine like Cecillon for example in 2015 I think. Pretty good freshness. Give it a bit of time.
2015 Vin des Amis
From plains of Cornas town, all Syrah, 44 hl/ha. 50 yo vinyeards. 500 cases or so.
Really fresh, bright fruit. Exuberant and somewhat new-worldy at the moment although I suspect that will fade with time. Very forward. Touch of balancing green and tannin on the finish, discreet but there.
2014 Cotes du Rhone
More savoury, more tannin, crunchy, still family resemblance. Sees more cask as opposed to the VDP which is just concrete. This will be beautiful in a few years. Also about 500 cases.
2012 Renaissance
Picking up a bit of age and with it some nice, leathery notes. Still pretty fresh though. Very nice wine, a step up, but not a massive step up from the CDR though. 1/3 of their Cornas is Renaissance and it’s usually a somewhat tough sell on the marketplace, stuck as it is between their early drinking CDR and their ageworthy Cornas.
2010 Cornas
A slightly tarry note, really packed with tannin, and structure. Not too difficult now as it also has a lot of ripe fruits. Very powerful with lovely balance. Olivier puts this in the league of 1978 and 1990. The heat of the days and coolness of the August nights were one of the reasons for the strength of this exceptional vintage.
2005 Cornas
Drinking really nicely at the moment, still on the tannins but with a great sense of balance. Much better drinking then the 10 at this point. 1995 / 1985esque.
1996 Cornas
Interesting as a less good vintage. Shows with less focus and purity than vintages like 2005 and 2010. Quite green and stemmy, towards the more earthy style of say, Robert Michel.
1991 Cornas
Still really, really grippy. To me maybe just not ready yet, I would put it behind the 2005 in terms of drinking. Really incredibly structured for a wine this old. Olivier says it is drinking beautifully and has always been open, so who am I to argue. Maybe I just like them really old.
1979 Cornas
Very elegant, not a wine of power like the 1991. Finishes really nicely and doesn’t fall-in on itself at the end. That said, no room for improvement one feels. Great old soldier. Can’t be much of this around. It seems the group’s preference was for the 1991 which was incredibly powerful and vital. For me the faded 1979 was the most feminine and soulful of the lot.