Wine Advisor
Alain Voge, Cornas Les Vieilles Vignes 2020
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Joe Czerwinski
The sample presented of Voge's 2020 Cornas Vieilles Vignes was reassuringly excellent, with gently lifted, floral scents of violets, cassis and crushed stone. Full-bodied, deep and powerful, concentrated and rich but still almost painfully unformed, this needs time in the cellar. It's a blend of several parcels, aged in barrel but with just 15% or so new oak.
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Glass-staining violet color. Deeply perfumed, smoke-accented blackcurrant, cherry, smoked meat, vanilla, olive and exotic spices on the intensely perfumed nose. Shows excellent depth of flavor but comes off surprisingly energetic as well, offering mineral-driven black and blue fruit, bacon fat, olive paste and candied violet flavors that firm up steadily as the wine gains air. Polished, building tannins add shape to an impressively long, smoky finish that strongly echoes the floral, mineral and spice notes.
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.
