Cornas AOC

Appellation in the northern section of the Rhône on the right bank, classified as Cru (top appellation). The name, of Celtic origin, means "burnt or scorched earth", which, like the Côte Rôtie appellation, refers to the hot and dry climate. The red wine from this area has an ancient history. According to a legend that cannot be verified, Emperor Charlemagne (1638-1715) is said to have been a lover of it. At the French royal court, 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 around 125 hectares of vines in the eponymous commune of Cornas in the département of Ardèche, 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 in Europe.

The eleven streams flowing through the area mostly mark the boundaries of the vineyards. From north to south, these are Les Arlettes, Le Coulet, Les Eygas, Jouvet, St. Pierre, Peupliers, Chaillot, Pied la Vigne, Reynards (with single vineyards Tezier, La Geynale and La Côte), Les Mazards, Sauman, Champelrose, La Lègre, Sabarotte, Les Saveaux, Les Côtes, Patou and Combe. The extremely long-lived red wine, which is only ready to drink after a long period of ageing in the bottle, is made from the pure Syrah variety. Wines that do not comply with 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.

Image: Vincent Paris