Declassified Cornas
I have a confession to make. Before he passed, Alain Voge might have been my favorite winemaker on earth. A man who championed Cornas when no one cared, who stubbornly believed in steep hillsides and old-school craftsmanship when the world was chasing industrial plonk. The man was a legend, and his wines? They are the stuff of dreams.
Which brings me to something special: the 2022 Alain Voge Côtes du Rhône 'Les Peyrouses.' Calling this a Côtes du Rhône is technically correct, but let's be real—it’s declassified Cornas, plain and simple. Vines grown in Cornas, Syrah through and through, with that deep, earthy soul that only comes from those granitic slopes. The only difference? The price tag doesn’t say “Cornas,” which means you’re getting a wine of ridiculous pedigree for a fraction of the cost.
Aged for ten months in well-seasoned barrels (because flashy oak masks what matters), 'Les Peyrouses' is all dark fruit, black pepper, violets, and that unmistakable minerality that makes Northern Rhône Syrah so damn good. It’s got the structure, the depth, and the elegance—without the Cornas price tag.
If you value authenticity over labels, know that the best things in life often lurk just beneath the radar, then this is your bottle. But fair warning: allocations are minuscule, and once it's gone, it’s gone.
Let me know how many cases you’d like before the secret gets out. Oh, and the only other price in the US on Wine Searcher is $30 a bottle.
