1996 Domaine Courbis St. Joseph

Domaine Courbis is in Châteaubourg, where the Rhône and Isère Rivers converge just north of Valence. The estate has 20 acres in the Cornas AOC, and 60 acres in the Saint Joseph AOC. It produces a total of 120,000 bottles of Cornas, Saint Joseph red, and Saint Joseph white. There are also a few wines from Saint Peray and Crozes Hermitage. The domaine has been owned by the Courbis family since the 16th century and it is today run by brothers Dominique and Laurent Courbis. It makes single vineyard Cornas as well as Vin de Pays. Robert M. Parker Jr. was already impressed with this domaine in the late 1990s when he wrote “based on recent vintages, where Courbis wines have been among the top wines of these (Cornas and Saint Joseph) appellations, Courbis is a name to watch in the northern Rhone.”

The Northern Rhône Valley wine region hugs the Rhône River from Vienne in the north to Valence at its southern tip. The French call the region Côtes du Rhône Septentrionales, and it is divided into eight appellations. Along with its neighbor to the south, the Southern Rhone Valley, it is famous for its big, tannic, intensely concentrated wines. Syrah is the only red grape permitted in AOC wines from this sub-region, though the Syrah can be blended with the white wine grapes Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne, depending on the regulations for each AOC. White wines are made from Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. Of the eight appellations in the north, the most admired wines tend to come from Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu and Hermitage, though there are certainly exceptional wines to be found in St. Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, St.-Peray, Crozes-Hermitage and Cornas. Along with Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne, Rhône wines are among France’s best known and most collected wines. Red wines from these appellations are notable for their signature aromas of bacon and green olives, and for their depth. Robert M. Parker, a great champion of Rhone wines, has written that “the northern Rhône produces three of the greatest wines in the world – the white wines of Condrieu and the red wines of Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage.”

This grape is grown in milder climates and produces a medium-to full-bodied wine. It is also known as Shiraz, but should not be confused with Petit Sirah, which was developed by crossing Syrah with Peloursin.