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Domaine Courbis Cornas Les Eygats 2019  - First Bottle

Reviews

97+ Jeb Dunnuck -
The 2019 Cornas Les Eygats is much more inward and focused, with full-bodied power as well as gorgeous notes of crème de cassis, crushed stone, graphite, bacon fat, and violets. Where both the Champelrose and Sabarotte are expansive and opulent on the palate, this style is tight, chiseled, and incredibly precise. Given its purity and balance, it’s another Cornas that offers ample pleasure today yet will benefit from 2-4 years in the cellar and drink fabulously well over the following 10-15.
94-96 Vinous -
Ripe black/blue fruits, licorice, vanilla and an exotic spice quality on the mineral-inflected nose. Stains the palate with appealingly sweet, penetrating cassis, bitter cherry, blueberry and licorice flavors that deepen and turn sweeter through the midpalate. Youthfully gripping tannins frame a strikingly long, chewy finish that emphatically repeats the blue fruit and floral notes.
94 Wine Spectator -
Very expressive, this shows a gorgeous set of warmed cassis, plum reduction and cherry purée aromas and flavors, backed by hints of açai berry, singed woodspice, sweet tapenade and bay leaf through the finish. Fine chalky minerality lingers at the end. Best from 2024.
92+ Robert Parker's Wine Advocate -
Lifted and peppery on the nose, the 2019 Cornas les Eygats balances those elements with concentrated, jammy cherries, then balances those sweet, fruity notes with dense, chewy tannins. At the moment, it's all a bit too much and pulling in different directions, but I suspect it will come together with additional time in the bottle. Try it after 2025.

Technical Details

  • BlendSyrah
  • WinemakerLaurent Courbis
  • CountryFrance
  • RegionRhone
  • AppellationCornas
  • Alcohol14.5%
  • Production50 Cases Imported cases

Domaine Courbis Cornas Les Eygats 2019

Syrah  |  France
JD97+, VN94-96, WS94, WA92+

27% off retail!

In many ways, Cornas is like the Gold’s Gym of syrah. Powerful, chiseled, somewhat animalistic expressions of Northern Rhone, where raw, unbridled intensity is the name of the game. 97+ points and this wine is just starting to strut...a worthy addition to any collection!

This one-hectare, single-vineyard, terraced Cornas “Les Eygats” site rests on decomposed granite soils, facing the southeast. At a relatively high 250 meters of altitude, these 20+-year-old vines are typically the last to be harvested for the Courbis family’s Cornas holdings. The Courbis family estate in Northern Rhone dates back to the 16th century, but today, brothers Dominique and Laurent command 33 hectares of vines, with 8 of those located in Cornas. They took over for their father, Maurice, in the early 90s, ushering in a modern yet grounded approach that has greatly increased the quality of the portfolio.

The fruit benefits from a full three weeks of fermentation and maceration, extracting as much color and flavor as possible. From there, the wine ages entirely in barriques for 16 months, in a combination of 50% new and 50% one-year-old vessels. The resulting wine is rich, concentrated, and classic Cornas syrah – with ample berries both black and blue, plus bacon fat, violets, baby powder, anise, chipped rocks, black olive tapenade, bay laurel, and black pepper. The mouthfeel is voluptuous and plush, though the tendency to opulence is kept in check by a pronounced undercurrent of graphite and charred stone minerality. This is just entering a plateau of integration and drinkability, but with the well-knit bones to survive a decade-plus of thoughtful cellaring.

Both a beast and a beauty, this is everything we love about Northern Rhone, in a fantastic vintage for the site that will compete with many of the top syrahs anywhere in the world. Just over 10 cases available, and this is one for the ages!