CORNAS Guillaume Gilles

Cornas is an A.O.C. in the southern part of the northern Rhone Valley, it is an enclave outside the river valley influence. A granite filled slopes mostly entire planted with vines which produce a red wine with Syrah. Cornas due the warm current air coming from the Toulaud Valley south of Saint Peray makes the syrah ripening easier than the heart of Saint Joseph appellation.  Cornas ripening at least a week ahead of the neighborhood Hermitage. 
The granite soil provides a good core of minerality with a pebbly dry stony texture on the finish of the palate. 
Cornas vineyards are spread around 110 hectares with three zones:

Northern Zone: 
with granite and limestone, the wine is always fresh with a relative altitude of around 250 meters. Tannins are more notable in the lower slopes where more clay is found. 
Main vineyards are Les Arlettes, Les Eygas, Jouvet not present on the map above. 

Central Zone: 
the area with more old vines and the high percent of granite with a touch of clay and gneiss. The wines are the fullest with abundant tannins, rich and complex. 
Main Vineyards are Chaillot, Les Mazards, Reynard, La Geynale, La Cote, Thezieres, Clairet and Pigeonnier. 

Southern zone: 
the granite here is softer, sandier and decompose of the Central zone. The wines are more aromatic and elegant with good potential aging. 
Main Vineyards are Champelrose, Sauman, Sabarotte, Les Cotes, Les Saveaux Nord, Patou and La Combe. 
The clay soil mixed with the granitic soil of a Cornas vineyards
 The steppest vineyard
 The training system with the foliage very high tight and vertical

Visite to Guillaume Gilles in the center of Cornas 
In the middle of July this year in a very hot afternoon, we were welcomed in the tiny cellar of this amazing producer. Gilles was a very humble person, let us taste all his wines 2017 from the barrel. He is a young vigneron which starts under the guide of Robert Michel, a mentor from him. In fact, Michel helps him to produce his own wines; he leased to him his prime parcel in the Chaillot vineyard and also provide to him his cave where we spend a truly amazing afternoon. The method is pretty simple and straightforward whole cluster and wild yeast fermentation, the age is done in old demi-muids barrels. 
He cultivated his vineyards Chaillot and La Combe lieu dit all by hands with organic philosophy. He told us he works respecting the terroir with a lot of manual works always tuned with the vine, he tried to have the most balanced vines with fewer interventions and using only organic compost for fertilization during winter. His first vintage was 2002 and he thinks to get an organic certification very soon. His production is around 8000 bottles per years and the average of his vines is 40 years old. 
The Wines from the barrels were austere, profound with lots of energy. 

We were lucky enough to test 2011 Cornas:
notable finesse, precise red berry fruit, and cherry liqueur. The palate has a fleshy start, gives the fruit a silken texture, tar notes with elegant tannins. Very fluid with notable complexity and super young.
We also tasted from 2016 his Vin de France Saint Joseph Les Peyrouses black olives, meaty and fleshy palate full of blackberry with a nice tension acidity and good tannin structure.
2016 Cornas
very gentle nose with an austere minerality granitic and dusty with present tannin and complex aroma on the palate a very good one.
A truly exceptional vigneron.

raffaele mastrovincenzo
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wine / spirit / lambic / drinker
Phone +61 478038636

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