Cornas AOC

Appellation in the northern section of the Rhône on the right bank, classified as Cru (peak appellation). The name of Celtic origin means "burnt or scorched earth", which, like the appellation Côte Rôtie, refers to the hot and dry climate. The red wine from this area has an ancient history. According to a naturally unverifiable legend, a lover of it is said to have been Emperor Charles the Great (1638-1715). At the French royal court the Cornas was already popular in the 10th century and in the 19th century its excellent reputation was comparable to Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The vineyards cover some 125 hectares of vines in the eponymous municipality of Cornas in the Ardèche department north of the city of Valence. The terraced, very steep slopes consist of granite and limestone in the subsoil. The vineyards are among the steepest vineyards in Europe.

The eleven streams flowing through the area mostly mark the boundaries of the sites. From north to south these are Les Arlettes, Le Coulet, Les Eygas, Jouvet, St. Pierre, Peupliers, Chaillot, Pied la Vigne, Reynards (with individual sites Tezier, La Geynale and La Côte), Les Mazards, Sauman, Champelrose, La Lègre, Sabarotte, Les Saveaux, Les Côtes, Patou and Combe. This extremely long-lasting red wine, which is only ready to drink after a long period of bottle-ageing, is made from the Syrah variety. Wines that do not meet the AOC regulations are marketed under Côtes du Rhône. Well-known producers are Thierry Allemand, Franck Balthazar, Auguste Clape, Pierre-Marie Clape, Jean-Luc Colombo, Courbis, Delas, Eric et Joel Durand, Dumien-Serrette, Jaboulet-Aîné, Marcel Juge, Jacques Lemenicier, Jean Lionnet, Tardieu-Laurent, Vincent Paris, Noël Verset and Alan Voge.

Picture: Vincent Paris