2021 Auguste Clape Cornas, Rhone Valley, France (750ml)   

From one of the legendary northern Rhône producers, and extremely scarce as well. Auguste Clape is located in Cornas, in the Rhone Valley. The estate owns ten acres and leases another four acres, and is run by the Clape family, with Pierre-Marie, son of the much admired Auguste, now in charge. The estate produces 24,000 bottles a year of Cornas and Cotes du Rhone.

Clape wines are often difficult to acquire because so many French restaurants buy as much of Clape’s annual production as possible. Clape’s masterpiece is of course the classic Cornas, precisely blended from five to six cuvées of the oldest vines in the best sites. The backbone comes from Reynard, La Côte and Sabarotte. The old vines here are la Petite Syrah—the old clone considered by many to be the true Syrah—which creates a stunningly deep and complex wine that will develop for decades. The Clape family vinifies in large, old, wooden casks and makes majestically dark and brooding Cornas, layered with aromas of herbs and mint.