Auguste Clape - Cornas Renaissance 2003
Domaine Auguste Clape is located in the Cornas appellation, in the north of the Rhône Valley . The estate was founded by Clape's grandfather, a farmer who left Languedoc after the producers' strikes of 1906-1907 and settled in Cornas. Today, the estate includes 8 hectares of old Syrah vines and Auguste Clape's Cornas is one of the most popular wines of the appellation. Auguste Clape also makes a Côtes-du-Rhône and the “Vin des Amis” in Vin de France made entirely from Syrah, as well as tiny quantities of Saint Péray Blanc from 0.2 hectares of Marsanne.
The Renaissance vintage comes from the estate 's young Syrah vines . The vinification is traditional, with whole clusters , light crushing, and fermentation with native yeasts. Aging takes place in old 1,000 liter tuns for a minimum of two years. The Rhône had a fairly good 2003 vintage. The growing season, like much of Europe, was scorching. In some cases, late summer temperatures exceeded 40 degrees and failed to cool significantly at night. Thus, in the Northern Rhône, the Syrah was harvested early in order to preserve the acidity and freshness of the fruit.
Grape variety: 100% Syrah