Cornas Wine Region

Vine Cultivation Since 885

Cornas appellation is a red wine produced at the rate of 380,000 liters on average each year from only 1.10 square kilometers of vines around the commune of Cornas, on the right bank of the Rhône faces Valence, Southern France.

Cornas recognized an official appellation in 1938, although it was not until 1950, the first local wine producers began bottling the wine themselves.

Dramatic Topography

This appellation has a continental climate rather than the Mediterranean climate found in the south. Winters are wet and with cold winds that can continue to the Spring. The vineyards are located at altitudes between 100 meters and 400 meters above sea level.

The climate, scorching and sunny, is ideal for growing grapes. The steep slopes are very well exposed (Cornas meaning “burnt land” in Celtic) and swept with regular winds, necessary to realize this wine of character.

Wine, Exclusively from Syrah

The Cornas appellation is located on soils dominated by granite filtering (Gore); the vineyard draws all the soil’s character by vilification in red of a single variety, Syrah.

AOC Cornas is a full-bodied and powerful wine, with a dark, almost black color and excellent aging potential. In the early years, they are tannic and structured around red fruit aromas. As they age, they soften and give way to more subtle truffle notes, amber, licorice, and cooked fruit. This wine was very popular with Charlemagne, St. Louis, and Louis XV.

A part of the important features of Cornas appellation for red wines are as follows:

• Soil: Granite filtering (Gore).
• Taste: Powerful.
• Wine color: Dark red, almost black.
• Aromas: Red fruit aromas for fresh wines and subtle notes of truffle, amber, licorice, and cooked fruit for aged wines.
• Aging potential: 2 – 20 years.
• Serving temperature: 14 to 16° C