2016 Cornas, Patou, Domaine Dumien-Serrette
Red | Ready, but will improve | Domaine Dumien-Serrette | Code: 49873 | 2016 | France > Rhône > Cornas | Syrah/Shiraz | Medium-Full Bodied, Dry | 13.0 % alcohol
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The Producer
Located in the Cornas appellation, Domaine Dumien-Serrette is almost a caricature, in the best possible sense, of course, of an old-school small scale Rhône Domaine. The Cave is tiny and chaotic, located in the lee of Cornas’ exceptionally large church spire.
Gilbert Serrette is small, tanned in most seasons and perennially energetic; he insists that the barrel tasting involves several different foudres, of differing ages, but fundamentally all containing partially destemmed Syrah from the 1.8 metre squared lieu-dit of Patou. Foot crushing and a manual press underline the traditional inclination of this fourth generation estate, but the attention to detail in the vineyard and care with yields and fining are all modern enough.
Their wines, accordingly, do not want for the granitic splendour for which this appellation is known, nor the indulgent cassis-cum-sauvage mid-palate flavours, so typical of fine Cornas, but they also have a beguiling floral elegance which sets them apart from more prosaic peers.
Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer
The Grape
A noble black grape variety grown particularly in the Northern Rhône where it produces the great red wines of Hermitage, Cote Rôtie and Cornas, and in Australia where it produces wines of startling depth and intensity. Reasonably low yields are a crucial factor for quality as is picking at optimum ripeness. Its heartland, Hermitage and Côte Rôtie, consists of 270 hectares of steeply terraced vineyards producing wines that brim with pepper, spices, tar and black treacle when young. After 5-10 years they become smooth and velvety with pronounced fruit characteristics of damsons, raspberries, blackcurrants and loganberries.
It is now grown extensively in the Southern Rhône where it is blended with Grenache and Mourvèdre to produce the great red wines of Châteauneuf du Pape and Gigondas amongst others. Its spiritual home in Australia is the Barossa Valley, where there are plantings dating as far back as 1860. Australian Shiraz tends to be sweeter than its Northern Rhône counterpart and the best examples are redolent of new leather, dark chocolate, liquorice, and prunes and display a blackcurrant lusciousness.
South African producers such as Eben Sadie are now producing world- class Shiraz wines that represent astonishing value for money.
The Region
Cornas is situated directly south of St. Joseph, and to the west of the river Rhône. It is 12km south of Tournon and directly east of Valence. Importantly, temperatures here are hotter than Hermitage, which is only 7km away. Cornas is a small appellation located in a south-facing semi-ampitheatre with granite-rich soils. The appellation was established in 1938 and only red wines are made, produced solely from the Syrah grape.
A contributing factor to the style of the wines is the granitic soil; the wines are made traditionally and often spend two years in oak. They are also strong and powerful – a cross between Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie, but typically displaying less elegance and finesse. They tend to be much more serious wines than either St Joseph or Crozes-Hermitage, however.Cornas can have a slightly raw and rustic side to them. Young Cornas can be deep and dense, almost pitch black in colour and ferociously tannic. After five to 10 years of ageing the best examples take on a more elegant and complex character, marked by aromas of sous bois and wild animals.
Recommended producers: Robert Michel, Augustus Clape, Paul Jaboulet
Best vintages: 2006, 2005, 2004, 2001, 1999, 1991, 1990
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Nicolas destemmed half the crop in 2016 and selected carefully, attentive to the possible impact of prolonged spring rainfall. Yields were reduced therefore, but there was no hail and no frost. Dense and dark, the wine has a hint of the sauvage behind the fruit, an edge which will guarantee the potential for lengthy cellaring and a fascinating evolution, at the culmination of which it should be relished with a game bird. Drink 2020-2025.
Simon Field MW, Wine Buyer