Traditionally produced in one small batch, Auguste Clape�s �Vin des Amis� is faithful to its terroir (see sidebar), not to mention the magical 2005 vintage. Along with Robert Michel and Thierry Allemand, Auguste Clape is one of the most important winemakers in Cornas.
I bought a few cases of the current vintage (2005) �blind� because the 2004 was a staff favorite and because the critical response to Clape's 2005s has been exceptional, with some saying these are his best wines ever.
As compared to the rain-out of 2002 and the scorching heat of 2003, the 2005 vintage offered everything in the right doses; I had a feeling this version of Clape's �Amis� would be truly extraordinary. It was validated when I opened the bottle!
Here are my tasting notes: �Beautiful violet aromatics along with dark ripe fruits and a savory complexity on the nose. The palate shows dense dark plum fruit and a touch of that classic game/bacon fat. A certain stoniness adds heft and complexity; however, on the finish the wine is surprisingly nimble and elegant. This is a bottle to open with a meal or before a night in front of the fire and to let slowly grow in the glass.�
The wine was so compelling that while drinking it I fired off an email to a fellow �Syrah-head� to tell him how good it was. Unbeknownst to me, he had taken the wine home the past weekend and was in the process of typing the same �you�ve got to take this bottle home!� message to me.
The next morning I found his email in my inbox and immediately called the supplier and secured every last bottle available in the state, if not the country. (Not a terribly hard task given that Clape�s rigorous winemaking techniques and smaller holdings mean he just doesn't make that much.)
Priced more like a Cotes-du-Rhone than a wine from a top appellation, the "Vin des Amis" shows a complexity and depth that is unmistakably Cornas (see Sidebar). The bottle has a subtlety and tantalizing femininity that typifies well-made Syrah from the northern Rhone.
Given this wine's outstanding Quality-to-Price Ratio (QPR) I want as many of you as possible to be able to enjoy Clape's affordable masterpiece, so I'm imposing a rare 12-bottle per-customer limit on today's offer.
Please reply to this email or give us a call at (212) 980-9463 ASAP to secure your bottles of one of the few remaining undiscovered wines of the northern Rhone.
Tom Stephenson
General Manager
Crush Wine & Spirits
2005 Auguste Clape "Vin des Amis"
Crush Sale Price: $19.99
net / no further discount
*12-Bottle Maximum - Limited Quantity Available.*
Wine is in stock.
Why the Killer Quality-to-Price Ratio?
It's simple really - this wine is so cheap because the vineyards for the �Vin des Amis� are just outside the legally defined appellation of Cornas. This means the wine is labeled a �Vin de Table� (table wine), the lowest denomination in France�s hierarchy of wine.
While it may not say �Cornas� on the label, you get near-Cornas quality from one of the top winemakers in the Northern Rhone at about 80% off the price of Cornas proper.
Crush Steal
Uncovered: A few remaining cases of 2001 Mas de Collines Gigondas in the importer�s warehouse during 2006 end-of-year inventory.
Due to our support of the wine, I am pleased to be able to honor the same price as our April 2006 offer: Bottle Sale Price of $22.99 and Case Price of $251.88 ($20.99/btl). Click here to read the full offer.
The wine has been perfectly stored and is drinking at its peak right now!
Cornas: Where in the World?
Cornas is a tiny pin-prick of an appellation in the Rhone's northern region. At only 225 acres in total, this appelation dwarfs in comparison to the sprawling 103,740 acres of Cotes-du-Rhone.
Cornas has managed to stay under the radar and in the shadow of the more famous northern Rhone appelations like Hermitage and Cote-Rotie. This means, however, that there are still deals to be had from the region�s star producers.
As the region gets more and more attention, there is going to be increased demand, and with that, increased financial pressures.
Affordable bottles of exceptional quality, like Clape's "Vin des Amis," may not be around for very much longer!