Domaine Vincent Paris

This 100-year-old plot from the Reyard lieu-dit has been a long-standing Berry Bros. & Rudd favourite; if anything the efforts of the nephew now exceed those of the uncle; be that as it may, the wine is now definitely one of the very best in this fashionable appellation. Inky black, with haunting aromas of violet and woodsmoke, the wine is a perfect paradigm of powerful precision and poised potential.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

It makes a nice change to state that a winery is far from state-of-the-art; M Paris makes wine in the chaotic splendour behind a large but only half-built house in the backstreets of Cornas; so far, so unpromising. His wines, however, are sublime and it should come as no surprise that he has now joined the first rank of Cornas producers. This is more than appropriate and very good news for us, as we bought the wines from his Geynale vineyard when it was owned by his uncle Robert Michel, and have always considered it to be among the very best plots in the village. The 2013 Cornas la Geynale is slightly more perfumed and wild than the Granit 60, with terrific black pepper, smoked earth, leather, meat and lots of black currant fruit. While from a cooler vintage, it doesn’t lack for stuffing and has full-bodied richness, a layered, ripe texture and sweet tannin. It’s another rocking wine from this young vigneron who’s at the top of his game.
Jeb Dunnuck - Wine Advocate Issue#216 Dec 2014

The steep vines here are located in Patou, Les Mazards and Saumon and their age runs the gamut from old-ish (35 years) to very old indeed (100 years). The grapes are mainly destemmed and the wine is a superb illustration of all that is great in Cornas; austere, yet generous, full-bodied and tannic, yet with a latent sweetness which will come to the fore over a number of years and provide a perfect contrast to burgeoning savoury characteristics.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

It makes a nice change to state that a winery is far from state-of-the-art; M Paris makes wine in the chaotic splendour behind a large but only half-built house in the backstreets of Cornas; so far, so unpromising. His wines, however, are sublime and it should come as no surprise that he has now joined the first rank of Cornas producers. This is more than appropriate and very good news for us, as we bought the wines from his Geynale vineyard when it was owned by his uncle Robert Michel, and have always considered it to be among the very best plots in the village. The 2013 Cornas Granit 60 Vielles Vignes is serious stuff. Inky colored and loaded with cassis, black raspberry, violets and licorice, it has beautiful acidity in its full-bodied, ripe, polished style. It has rock-solid mid-palate concentrated, and terrific length, so give it a handful of years in the cellar and drink bottles through 2025. Like all of Paris’s Cornas releases, it sees only older barrels.
Jeb Dunnuck - Wine Advocate Issue#216 Dec 2014

Granit 60 is a helpful name to be sure as it describes both the soil type and the gradient of the Parisian vineyard. The wine impresses with its nose of bay, black olives and dark fruit. It seems more energetic than its forebears, with sweet hedgerow myrtle fruit and graphite tannins.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer

The youthful nephew of Berry Bros. & Rudd favourite Robert Michel, who is now retired, is taking on something of an eminence grise persona himself these days, running the Syndicate of Cornas with great skill. It helps to have such fine vineyards of course, many of them inherited. 2011 he views as a less tannic but more aromatic vintage than 2010, to his liking in other words, as he often states that aromatic harmony is the key to a great Cornas.

This famous plot, passed down from Vincent’s esteemed uncle, Robert Michel, has vines which are now well past their one hundredth birthday.  In deference Vincent matures La Geynale for three more months than the Granit 60, that is to say a total of 18 months, although the casks are similarly aged (two-eight years). The 2012 is riper than I recall on the attack and yet has harder, more brutal tannins on the finish. This is not necessarily a negative observation for a top Cornas.
Simon Field MW, Rhône Wine Buyer

M. Paris has now been President of the Syndicat of Cornas Growers for nearly as long as his predecessor, M. Clape.  He is now looking for someone to succeed him, as the rigours of the job do not necessarily bestow much by way of reward, notwithstanding reputation of course and perhaps to be seen in the same context as M. Clape is reward enough. His wines certainly merit such acclaim, especially in 2012, which he praises for its harmonious juxtaposition of fruit and ‘matière’.

The youthful nephew of Berry Bros. & Rudd favourite Robert Michel, who is now retired, is taking on something of an eminence grise persona himself these days, running the Syndicate of Cornas with great skill. It helps to have such fine vineyards of course, many of them inherited. The 2011 vintage he views as less tannic but more aromatic than 2010, to his liking in other words, as he often states that aromatic harmony is the key to a great Cornas.

The famous Geynale site is located immediately above the village in the Reynards commune, its vines chiselled into unadulterated granite, dating from 1910. Dark fruit and massive, monolithic tannins hold sway and will do so for quite some time. Then the sweet and the savoury will start to do battle.

La Geynale is a four hectare south-facing vineyard perched immediately above the village and made up of soils of granite and crumbled loess. Robert Michel has now retired and Vincent is now stamping his identity on the wine, to outstanding effect here! Dark, dark fruit, a massive block of tannin and dark savoury fruit lurking beneath. One of my favourite wines of the entire week spent in the North.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer, February 2012

Our relationship with Vincent Paris, the unassuming but talented nephew of Robert Michel, was momentarily threatened by what we felt to be far too much volatile acidity in his 2008 wines. Fortunately the error was both acknowledged and rectified; only the very able can be so humble in contrition, and the subsequent vintages have both been magnificent. Having such ideally-located vineyards is, of course, rather helpful in this regard.

This dramatic 1911 granitic vineyard, now a centurion, is the source of the reputation of Robert Michel. Vincent has now picked up the baton and the wine is appropriately impressive, dense and hitherto impenetrable, with foursquare tannins and a powerful concentration of fruit, all set for a long and extremely satisfactory evolution.

The fruit here is predominately from La Geynale, as one would expect, but with a little added magic from Les Reynards, with stems added. This wine will approximate perfection for those who rejoice in Cornas from the pre-post-structuralist school. Ripeness and aromatic complexity are taken as red with this producer (although, to be fair, he does make a little white); here he adds profundity, tension and intimations of greatness, not necessarily in that order. Drink 2022-2030+.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

The slopes are even steeper for this wine, with grapes sourced from the most precipitous corners of the three lieux-dits Patou, Mazard and Sauman. The Granit 60 has been 75 percent de-stemmed and aged for just over a year in old barrique. One of the most haunting aromas of all, the wine beguiles with notes of violet, wood smoke and fresh incense. The fruit holds court for the moment; it is from the darker end of the spectrum, quixotic and dignified, intimating a scenic and slowly-paced voyage towards maturity. Drink 2022-2030+.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer

Here the fruit is from a single plot, where the vines average over 100 years in age, and it sees 100% whole-bunch fermentation. Low yields provide a wonderful concentration of fruit set against a structured tannic background, and yet more elegance from the vibrant acidity. Along with generous fruit, the finish has delightful notes of fresh herbs and violets. Drink 2020-2030.
Oliver Barton, Buying Assistant

The eponymous steep granitic slopes are located in Patou, Les Mazards and Saumon and are therefore quite widely spaced, albeit within the context of a 130 hectare appellation.  The evocative Parisian nose of violets and cooked meat cedes, naturally enough, to a palate which is both floral and savoury, with powerful tannins buttressing the edifice as they should in such a fine vintage.
Simon Field MW, Rhône Wine Buyer

M. Paris has now been President of the Syndicat of Cornas Growers for nearly as long as his predecessor, M. Clape.  He is now looking for someone to succeed him, as the rigours of the job do not necessarily bestow much by way of reward, notwithstanding reputation of course and perhaps to be seen in the same context as M. Clape is reward enough. His wines certainly merit such acclaim, especially in 2012, which he praises for its harmonious juxtaposition of fruit and ‘matière’.