Winemaker Notes
This cuvée comes from various vineyard parcels across the Courbis domaine, mostly from vines near the base of Cornas slope. They are blended to produce a wine ready for near term drinking upon release. The soils are a combination of only limestone and granite. The Cornas Champelrose benefits from 3 weeks of vatting to extract as much color and flavor as possible. It is aged entirely in casks that are a mix of 25% new; 20% one year; and 55% 2-3 years of age. The barrel-aging period is 12 months, after which the wine is assembled in tank and aged for four more months before bottling. The wine has generous, accessible, pure fruit and shows the full character of its appellation in the attractive Courbis house style.
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Cornas Champelrose comes from granite soils and was brought up in 25% new French oak. Its deep purple color is followed by plenty of classic granite character in its damp earth, crushed rock, gravelly minerality, liquid violet, and ripe blue fruits. Medium to full-bodied, with beautiful purity, no hard edges, and a great, great finish, this is a Cornas readers should snatch up.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Cornas Champelrose isn't quite as effusive as it was last year, but it's still a terrific example of Cornas, at what should be a fairly reasonable price. Hints of crushed stone and peppery spice accent bright red currants and cherries on the nose, while the palate is medium to full-bodied, with a silky texture and a long, crisp finish. It should drink well for a decade.
-
Wine Spectator
Savory, bay leaf and white pepper notes lead the way, chased by red currant and plum fruit. Lively, offering a light bramble edge, with olive accents piercing through the juicy finish. All the elements are carried by a chalky underpinning. Best from 2020 through 2035.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Distinguished as a fine Syrah producing zone since the 18th century, Cornas, like Cote Rotie, is made up of vineyards covering steep and hard-to-work, granite terraces. As a result the region’s wines fell out of favor during the mid 20th century when the global market was more focused on bulk wines and vineyards that yielded high quantities. It wasn’t until the 1980s when a group of energetic young winemakers reestablished the integrity of these precipitous terraces and also began making an ultra-modern style of Syrah. The new style didn’t need a decade before it was drinkable and could reach the consumer faster than the region’s traditional wines. Given the new quality coming out of the zone, its popularity once again soared and today a good Cornas can easily challenge many of those from Hermitage. Characteristics of Syrah from Cornas include teeth-staining flavors of blackberry jam, plum, pepper, violets, smoked game, charcoal, chalk dust and smoke.