Wine Advisor
Auguste Clape, Cotes du Rhone 2020
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Joe Czerwinski
A bit more tannic and structured than the Le Vin des Amis, the 2020 Cotes du Rhone comes from a vineyard just on the other side of the road from Cornas—the soil is a bit stonier here than closer to the river, and the wine sees a little bit of time in foudre. Bottled the day before my visit, I found it less expressive on the nose than the Le Vin des Amis, but it was still imbued with ample cherry fruit and possessing a ripe, silky feel on the medium-bodied palate.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Quite some wet-earth character and a touch of graphite on the nose (from slight reduction), but also brimming with ripe blackberry fruit. The healthy tannins give this some drive and keep the finish very straight. From syrah vines growing between the Cornas and St.-Peray appellations. Drink or hold.
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.
