The Les Chailles by Alain Voge is the Cornas base cuvée. It comes from various plots at the foot of the granite hills of Cornas, which are more fertile than the sites at the top of the slope and therefore produce the more charming and earlier accessible Syrah wines.
The name Chailles comes from the light-colored stones found in these soils. The vines are on average 40 years old, which gives the wine good depth. The Cornas Les Chailles is aged for eighteen months in used barriques; Alain Voge does not want roasted notes from new wood in this wine. Therefore, the wine is clearly characterized by the fruit, the wood is still noticeable, but rather supportive in the background.
2020 was an excellent vintage that was uncomplicated for winemakers in the northern Rhône. The bud break and the harvest were some of the earliest ever; at Alain Voge, the last Syrah grapes were brought in on September 15th. The 2020 Cornas les Chailles has a perfect balance between intense fruit, full body and fine structure thanks to the ripe tannins. The certain roughness that is often said about Cornas is practically non-existent here. On the palate it is full and fresh at the same time, the wine has a good pull right up to the very long finish, which is characterized by polished tannins, a juicy extract and subtle minerality. Great!
Kristin Bieler from Wine Spectator magazine gives the 2020 Cornas Les Chailles 94/100 and writes: "Dark and alluring yet also pretty, with expressive violet, dried lavender and blackberry paste built atop an underlying freshness. Concentrated on the palate , with balsamic, black pepper and subtle iodine building on the meaty, plump character. A beam of iron and firming tannins dry out the finish. Though this is drinking great now . Drink now through 2032."
In 2020, just over 14,000 bottles of this wine were bottled (including magnums).
Click to Winemaker portrait Alain Voge with all available wines.< /p>
| Optimal maturity for drinking |
now until 2037+ |
| Analysis data |
13.5% alcohol vol., less than 2.0 g/l residual sugar |
| Refining |
18 months in used barriques |
| Grape variety |
100% Syrah |
| Reviews |
94/100 Wine Spectator & Vinous.com (both 2020 vintage) |
| Closure |
Natural cork |
| Type |
dry red wine |
Distributor: Alain Voge SARL, 4, Impasse de Léquerre, 07130 Cornas - France
Product from France - contains sulfites. Organic cultivation FR-BIO-01
