Alain Voge Cornas Chapelle Saint-Pierre- 2021 (750ml)

The oldest vines planted in the Saint-Pierre locality (5000 m² in 1999) made up part of the blend of our hillside cuvée "Les Vieilles Vignes" in recent years. The very particular identity of this wine, always vinified and aged separately, gave us the desire to make it a unique and rare single-vineyard cuvée because it is only made when the balance is perfect.

• Reduced sulphitage - SO₂ total 58 mg/l (authorised for organic farming: 100 mg/litre)
• Ageing potential: 15 years.

A vintage on the opposite footing... After an episode of too much mild winter in February, the historic frost of 8 April hit hard our plots of Saint-Péray (Ongrie, Prieuré) as well as the lower parts of Cornas. In the end, we deplore a 50% loss in Saint-Péray, with only 2 cuvées produced: Harmonie and Fleur de Crussol, of very good quality, marked by the freshness of the vintage. On Cornas, the hillsides partly compensated for the loss due to frost, but the very rainy (896 mm/m²) and late season (harvest from 13/09 to 02/10) offered an "old-fashioned" vintage, fresh and chiseled, with alcohol levels falling sharply, but less marked differences in alcohol/tannin maturity than in hot and dry years.

95 points Wine Spectator

Smoked bacon fat and black pepper permeate a base of supple plum and baked black cherry flavors in this smoky red, which shows good freshness. Full but not massive, this is round and smooth, with a subtle chewiness that adds textural complexity. Drinking beautifully now, but with a long life ahead in the cellar. Drink now through 2035. 200 cases made, 10 cases imported.

92 points Vinous Media

The 2021 Cornas Chapelle Saint-Pierre is the third rendition of this cuvée, following 2016 and 2018. Vinified from fully destemmed grapes grown on up to 35-year-old vines, it saw no new oak. Pronounced sour cherry and blackberry notes rise up from the glass. Wafts of pencil shavings and iodine add ferrous complexity. Medium-bodied at most, this is a polished and refreshing Cornas that won’t demand much time before coming around. Readers should note that no 2022 will be produced. - Nicolas Greinacher October 2023