The producer
One of the long-standing domaines of renown for lovers of Rhone wine, August Clape was making great wine already when most of the Rhone valley was lost in a time. The domain is very traditional, fermenting in unlined concrete and aging in smaller barrels, but the results are simply outstanding. Always blends from various plots across the appellation, these are Cornas famed for their richness and personality, and the second and third generation now in control at the estate are making no attempt to change what is a very successful model, even if single vineyard bottlings have become fashionable in the area.
The wine
Since 1998, a second Cornas, the ‘Renaissance’, has been produced. Made from around 25 year old vines from some of Clape’s best vineyards, this is an earlier maturing wine, yet still with a likely ageing potential of at least two decades. A medium bodied wine with silky tannins and texture, and crisp acidity, Renaissance is the more approachable and forward of Clape’s single vineyard wines. It is also excellent value for money.
