Thierry Allemand Cornas "Reynard" 2018
(Cornas, Northern Rhône, France) - [JD 100] [DM 95] [VM 97]

About the Winery:
Today, there is no more unique figure in the Northern Rhône than Cornas’ Thiérry Allemand. Though not yet in his 50s, he has been mythologized in much the same way as past greats like Noël Verset, Marius Gentaz and August Clape. He created his domaine from scratch, inheriting nothing from his ancestors. And because he also didn’t have a family fortune behind him, much of his domaine was assembled by laboriously restoring abandoned parcels in great terroirs.

Finally, while deeply rooted in the past, Thiérry’s approach to winemaking is uniquely his. He began in the early 1980s by learning at the knees of two Cornas legends, Joseph Michel and Noël Verset, but has gone on to apply a quarter century of personal experience. He has arrived, finally, at a philosophy that, while squarely in the traditional camp, produces wine whose purity and expression of grape variety and place are unrivalled by anyone in Cornas.

About this Wine:
Cornas Reynard brings together the fruit from the domaine’s oldest and best vines, based on Noël and Louis Verset’s ancient vines in Reynard, but including Geynale, Pigeonners and even old vines in Chaillot.

Techinical Information

Varietal: 100% Syrah
Vine Age: 34-90 yrs
Soil Type: Decomposed Granite
Vineyard Area: 2.02 ha

Viticulture & Vinification:
• Farms organically, working steep, terraced vineyards all by hand (no tractor!)
• Dense plantings naturally reduce yields (< 30 hectoliters per hectare)
• All wines are fermented in stainless steel and open-top wooden vats
• Stems left on cluster during fermentation
• Punch-downs by foot
• All wines are vinified separately
• Wines aged in foudres and barriques for 24 months before final blending and bottling
• Finished wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered
• Very low doses of sulfur, sometimes none at all

100 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"On another level, the 2018 Cornas Reynard is a tour de force and up there with the finest Cornas to ever pass my lips. Deep purple-hued, with a gorgeous perfume of crème de cassis, blackberries, powdered granite, violets, and peppery spice, it’s full-bodied and brings another level of elegance in its tannins as well as density on the palate. Full-bodied and perfectly balanced, with ultra-fine tannins, I can’t imagine a better Cornas, nor a Cornas that holds onto such a classic representation of the appellation paired with purity, elegance, and finesse." (Feb 2022)

97 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"Greater depth and tannic finesse than this producer's 2018 Chaillots, with violets, raspberries, blackberries and rosemary all crowding for attention at this stage. Very smooth and velvety mouthfeel, displaying no heaviness, but with a robust tannic structure that's very Cornas. Long finish, with a big, mineral undertow." - Matt Walls (Oct 2020)

97 Points - Vinous Media:
"Deep magenta. Highly perfumed dark berry, violet, smoky mineral and olive aromas show superb clarity and a touch of spiciness. Offers sweet, palate-staining blackberry, cherry-cola, succulent herb and floral pastille flavors that deepen slowly and take on a licorice nuance with aeration. Rich but lively as well, finishing with emphatic back-end cut, building tannins and impressively persistent floral, mineral and exotic spice notes." - Josh Raynolds (Dec 2022)