Wine Advisor
Alain Voge, Cornas Les Vieilles Vignes 2022
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Nicolas Greinacher
The 2022 Cornas Les Vieilles Vignes is made from grapes grown between 200 and 350 meters of elevation on granitic soils. Powerful and refined, it bursts with intense ripe black fruits, followed by hints of blueberry and traces of cedar, graphite and stemmy subtleties. Ripe yet polished tannins give excellent structure to this full-bodied, savory 2022 Cornas. It was fermented with 20% whole-clusters and is scheduled to mature for 20 months in up to 15% new oak barriques.
Reviewed by: Yohan Castaing
The 2022 Cornas Vieilles Vignes is more inky and bloody than its counterparts, evoking aromas of violet, iris and mulberries. Medium to full-bodied, layered and structured, it has a dense, fleshy core of fruit, structured and velvety tannins and an elegantly muscular profile, culminating with a long, spicy and a bit stemmy finish. Matured for 20 months in barrels—of which 10% were new—this wine exhibits great potential for aging, with an expected longevity of around 15 years.
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.
