"There should be a stone to
Auguste Clape in the northern Rhône."
2007 Clape Cornas
A Saturday Steal on a Classic Cornas
A Cornas benchmark, priced as sharply as it gets.
When it rains it pours I suppose, because with Tuesday's Juge email it seems like we're on a bit of a Cornas bender. So it goes, we love the northern Rhône.
There's not much to say about Auguste and Pierre-Marie Clape that hasn't already been said 1,000 times. Auguste, the father, worked his first harvest in Cornas in 1949; the Clape family has been a pillar of the community, of the appellation, of the culture of Cornas ever since.
Reading Livingston-Learmonth's account of the Clape is humbling. He writes,
"There should be a stone to Auguste Clape in the northern Rhône. A stone would suit more than a statue - it would be more fundamental and less pretentious. The legend on it should read something like 'Wisdom, Integrity and Humanity.' For this is an exceptional person."
The wines of Clape are Cornas - nothing more, nothing less. They have always been traditional; they have always been reflective of their vintage. The family now farms somewhere in the area of 5 hectares of vineyards in Cornas, in the most prestigious sites of the commune: Reynards, Les Mazards and Sabarotte (an old Noël Verset site). Since 1989, Auguste's son Pierre-Marie has been in charge of the estate, continuing the traditions of traditional Cornas.
The 2007 is a benchmark Cornas - powerful, dense, almost in spite of the vintage. While the Southern Rhône enjoyed a glorious 2007, the north proved more difficult. The cool summer weather led into a difficult August. Only the fair September weather saved the vintage and those estates, like Clape, that waited to harvest made beautiful wines that are both supple and structured. Tanzer's IWC tasting notes are below.
To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits
2007 Clape Cornas
$84.95 |