Cornas
Controlled appellation
Chapelle Saint-Pierre
The oldest vines planted (5000m2 in 1999) went partly into the blend of our cuvee “Les Vieilles Vignes” coming from the hillsides. Always vinified and aged separately, the singular identity of this wine inspired us to produce a single vineyard wine, unique and rare, as it is made only when perfect balance is achieved.
Organic and biodynamic methods are used for the entire domain.
TERROIR
Alain Voge was one of the first wine producers to plant vines atop Cornas appellation, around the chapel “Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens”. He was indeed convinced that, on these granitic slopes at elevations of 400m, both freshness and finesse would meet to make a great wine.
2023 VINTAGE
After the frost of 2021 and the drought of 2022, it was reasonable to hope for a season without incident for the vines.
This vintage, although very different from the previous two, was once again a vintage of challenges, perseverance, and humility.
While 2022 was marked by a lack of water, the 2023 vintage was characterized by very heavy thunderstorms and, in some areas, hail, particularly in the high-altitude vineyards of St Pierre, reducing the harvest but above all leaving the foliage damaged and greatly diminished, impacting the peaceful ripening of the grapes.
Despite the complexity of this season, at the end of July, the historic plots of old vines looked very promising, as they were little affected by hail, healthy, and ultimately well watered by the storms.
However, this was without taking into account the sudden heatwave in August, which, in just a few days, caused much of the foliage and grapes to dry out, reduced acidity to very low levels, and blocked photosynthesis and therefore the migration of sugars.
Eager to bring the season to a close, we began harvesting at the end of August and finished at the end of September. The grapes were sorted with particular care this year; fermentation, which is carried out by fungi, is proceeding under favorable conditions.
A few months later, tasting the wines reassures us.
Despite exceptionally low acidity levels, both the whites and the reds are up to par: the fruit is present, the wines are balanced, and the tannins are ripe. The exceptional quality of the terroirs on the one hand, and the rigorous and persistent work on the other, have given rise to this astonishing vintage! To be continued...
OUR VINE GROWING AND WINEMAKING
• Organic certification for the vines and wine in the 2016 vintage and biodynamic methods used.
• Syrah vines trained and pruned in Cordon de Royat style and supported by wires.
• Hand-picked harvests.
• Total destemming.
• Fermentation with natural yeasts and maceration for several weeks in stainless steel vats, with cap-punching and pumping-over done twice a day.
• Maturation in 228-litre barrels for 20 months, without new oak
• Amount of sulphite reduced: 59 mg/l total SO2 (100 mg/litre authorised in organic winemaking)
• Production : 1.786 bottles
• Ageing potential: 15 years
COMMENTS
2023 vintage: "Previously made in 2016, 2019, and 2021 and coming from a higher, cooler terroir, the 2023 Cornas Chapelle Saint-Pierre was all destemmed and aged 20 months in two to three-year-old barrels. It has a beautiful purple-fruited, violet, floral, mineral-driven style as well as a vibrant profile on the palate revealing medium to full-bodied richness, a pure, focused texture, and ripe, nicely integrated tannins. It's clearly a beautiful wine in the making.."
Jebb DUNNUCK (09/05/2025) : 94-96/100
