Domaine Courbis Cornas Les Eygats 2019

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!