Wine Advisor
Auguste Clape, Cornas 2012
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck
Moving to the reds and one of the most impressive efforts from Cornas I was able to taste, Clape’s 2012 Cornas offers up an inky purple color to go with massive aromas and flavors of charred earth, graphite, cassis, black raspberry and searing minerality. Turning meatier with air, this full-bodied 2012 has a blockbuster texture, thrilling mid-palate depth and a decadent finish, yet never loses focus or seems over the top in any way. It will need 3-4 years to become approachable, and evolve gracefully for two decades or more. Another reference point in Cornas, the Domaine of Auguste Clape, which is now run by Auguste’s talented son, Pierre-Marie (who started working at the domaine in 1989), is staunchly traditional in style, and the wines see no new oak, no destemming and aging all in ancient foudre. He produces two cuvees from Cornas, his Renaissance, which comes from the estate’s younger vines (50 years in age), and the top wine, which is labeled simply Cornas. Both are textbook examples of the appellation, with the Renaissance being more approachable early on. In addition, he releases a Saint Peray (Marsanne), and a Vin de France and Cotes du Rhone, both of which comes from vines near Cornas and are well worth seeking out. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524
Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck
The Cornas of the vintage is Clape’s 2012 Cornas. An incredible effort, its inky purple/black color is followed by spectacular aromas and flavors of black raspberry, graphite, beef blood, iron, cedar and white pepper (among other things). This is Cornas at its finest, with insane aromatics, full-bodied richness and massive concentration, yet at the same time staying elegant, seamless and gorgeously pure. It’s more approachable than the 2010, but should still need 3-4 years of cellaring and have two decades of longevity.
About the Producer
Domaine Auguste Clape is located in the Rhone Valley region of France. The estate was founded by the Clape Family and is now run by Pierre-Marie Clape and Oliver Clape. Château Auguste Clapa now has 8 hectares of vineyards, all on terraces within the Colnas appellation. Due to the steep terrain of the vineyards, plantation management is carried out by hand. There are no formal rules for the vineyard, but rather the most traditional planting patterns, based on intuition, experience and common sense. The vineyard soil is mainly granite and clay, and the main grape varieties are Syrah and Marsanne, with an average vine age of 40 years. The grapes are hand-picked and carefully selected before being used in the production of the wines. The must for the Domaine Auguste Clape Saint-Peray Blanc is fermented in concrete tanks and, after fermentation, the wine is matured in stainless steel tanks for 8 months. The must for the red wines is fermented in large wooden vats and the length of fermentation is usually 12 days. Of these, the Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas and the Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas Renaissance are matured for 22 months in 600 litre or 1,200 litre vats. The Domaine Auguste Clape Cote du Rhone and the Domaine Auguste Clape Le Vin des Aims are matured for 6 months in concrete tanks and large wooden barrels respectively.
