Cornas AOC

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Cornas is a wine-growing AOC in the northern Rhône wine region of France south of Lyon. The vineyards are just north of Valence, in a fairly small area of steep slopes facing east south east, south of Tain l'Hermitage. It is, along with Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage, a good place to grow Syrah grapes. Cornas is a small appellation of only 95ha (235 acres) which produces less than 200,000 bottles in a typical vintage. There are individual châteaus in Bordeaux which produce more wine than the entire Cornas appellation.

Most wines produced in the Northern Rhône are reds made from the Syrah grape. This grape is now also widely known as Shiraz, the name by which it is known in Australia. Unlike other northern Rhône red wines, no addition of white grapes is permitted. Any wines designated Cornas AOC are made from 100% Syrah by law. Although there is nothing to stop growers planting different grape varieties in Cornas, the appellation is planted 100% to syrah, as any wine made from other grapes would have to be sold under a different label, probably Côtes du Rhône AOC and as a result would fetch a lesser price.

Cornas used to produce only extremely hearty red wines which required long ageing, but under the impulse of winemaker Jean-Luc Colombo, a new fruit forward style has emerged, revealing an elegant yet powerful and "black" wine. However, several producers still produce a more traditional style which typically requires 6-7 years in barrel and bottle before it is approachable. Rich, inky, and dense, this is a serious red wine. Long in the shadow of the more famous neighboring appellations Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage, other AOCs from the northern Rhône, Cornas wine sells at a fraction of its neighbors' much higher prices.