Cornas “Les Rieux”

Les Rieux is situated up above the main amphitheater of Cornas at 400-450 meters altitude. Guillaume acquired acreage here in 2010, immediately planting vines on its soils of white granite. Whereas before the turn of the century there was really nothing planted above 300 meters in Cornas, today’s warmer climate allows for wines from plots like this one to reach full maturity at modest levels of alcohol. Robert Michel, upon tasting the first vintage of this wine, remarked that it reminded him of the Cornas he and his village-mates made in the ‘70s and ’80s. Certainly, the bright, spice-saturated red character of the fruit here provides a fascinating contrast to Gilles’ more brooding flagship Cornas.