Wine Advisor
Alain Voge, Cornas Les Vieilles Fontaines 2009
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Opaque ruby. Pungent dark berries and cherry pit on the nose, with complicating notes of potpourri, black cardamom and licorice. Stains the palate with sweet red and dark fruit flavors, with a sexy floral character and a chewy texture. Air brings up a smoky element. Finishes with solid grip, a whiplash of spicy dark berries and outstanding persistence.
Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck
More ripe and exuberant than the '10, the hedonistic-styled 2009 Cornas Vieilles Fontaines offers tons of incense, flowers, black raspberries, toasted spices and violet-like aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, layered and downright sexy, it still has plenty of class and firms up beautifully on the finish. It's hard to resist now given all its fruit and texture, but there's enough tannin here to warrant 4-5 years of bottle age.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Even better is the 2009 Cornas Les Vieilles Fontaines. One of the most monumental Cornas wines I have ever tasted, it boasts a blacker color as well as sumptuous notes of melted asphalt, black truffles, smoked game, huge quantities of blackberry and cassis liqueur, and hints of lard, creosote and incense. This spectacular Cornas is super-tannic with low acidity, so give it 8-10 years of cellaring and drink it over the following three decades. It is a modern day legend from Cornas. Voge has turned in extraordinary Cornas offerings in both 2009 and 2010. He is also one of the finest producers of dry St.-Peray, which compete with the top wines of that appellation now being produced by Stephane Robert. Voge’s 2010 Cornas may only be eclipsed by his 2009s. These wines are now being made by Albert Mazoyers, who worked for many years with Michel Chapoutier and is one of the most respected young wine producers in the northern Rhone. The spectacular 2009s may be the finest wines I have ever tasted from Alain Voge. Importer: Citadel Trading Corp., New York, NY; tel. (212) 245-2844
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The estate’s flagship cuvee, the 2009 Cornas Les Vieilles Fontaines, is a candidate for the “Cornas of the vintage.” This full-bodied effort’s level of concentration even exceeds that of the Vieilles Vignes. Its black/purple color is followed by a thick, unctuously textured, full-bodied wine bursting with gamy Syrah fruit, bacon fat, blackberry, incense, graphite and creosote characteristics. It is a thrill-a-second, surprisingly civilized, massive Cornas that will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and should last for 20-25 years. (Not yet released) These are undeniably the greatest wines made at Voge since the early 1990s. In top years, the brilliant oenologist Albert Mazoyers produces three separate Cornas cuvees. Only two were made in 2008, Les Chailles (a lieu-dit in Cornas) and Les Vieilles Vignes, a selection of their oldest vines. In great vintages, the flagship cuvee called Les Vieilles Fontaines is produced. It typically ranks alongside Auguste Clape’s Cornas as the “Cornas of the vintage.” The spectacular amphitheater that forms the Cornas appellation produces better wines in challenging vintages than many other appellations since it forms a natural bowl for capturing heat. Moreover, with its well-drained soils it is always a good candidate in some of the tougher vintages such as 2008. The 2009 Cornas offerings are spectacular, being more forward and precocious as well as evolved. Importer: Citadel Trading Corp., New York, NY; tel. (212) 245-2844
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Opaque ruby. Pungent dark berries and cherry pit on the nose, with complicating notes of potpourri, black cardamom and licorice. Stains the palate with sweet red and dark fruit flavors, with a sexy floral character and a chewy texture. Air brings up a smoky element. Finishes with solid grip, a whiplash of spicy dark berries and outstanding persistence.
About the Producer
Domaine Alain Voge is a family-run winery based in Cornas and has over time built itself the reputation as a superstar of the appellation and its benchmark without doubt. It was founded many generations ago but was blessed with the talented beginnings in winemaking by Alain himself in 1958. Alain tore up the rule book, updated the winemaking techniques of his father, expanded the vineyards and began bottling his wines himself. With over 70 parcels of vines totaling seven hectares, it is no wonder that Alain Voge sometimes seems distracted. Half in jest, he says that the reason he harvests so late is to figure out which vines are his. He spent some time under Albéric Mazoyer, manager and associate of Alain Voge from 2004-2018, before progressing further and making a start in organic production. Thus, since 2013,the whole vineyard is run using biodynamic agriculture, where an artisan and entirely manual viticulture is practiced on the slopes of the Rhône’s rive droite. Since 2018,Lionel Fraissehas been at the helm. He continues to champion the sustainable winemaking of his predecessors.
