2011 Auguste Clape Vin Des Amis

Auguste Clape is located in Cornas, in the Rhone Valley. The estate owns ten acres and leases another four acres. It is run by the Clape family, with Pierre-Marie, son of the much admired Auguste, now in charge. The estate produces 24,000 bottles a year of Cornas and Cotes du Rhone. Clape wines are often difficult to acquire because so many French restaurants buy as much of Clape’s annual production as possible. Robert M. Parker Jr., an admirer of patriarch Auguste and his wines, has written that “Auguste Clape is…responsible for the renewed interest in the wines of Cornas. (His) wines combine the robust, aggressive tannin and enormous structure of a Cornas, with a tremendous extraction of peppery, jammy fruit.” Parker added that “No one disputes the fact that Clape’s Cornas is the reference point for the appellation.”

The Rhône Valley in southeast France follows the Rhône River for 125 miles and is home to some 170,000 vineyard acres. It is beloved by admirers of robust, fruit-filled, tannic red wines made from Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Carignan and Cinsualt. Though red wines predominate, the Rhône Valley also makes excellent fruity, full-bodied but dry white wines from Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. Some of the justly famous wines from the Rhône Valley include Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage, Condrieu, Gigondas and Cornas. Rosé wines are also produced. Vineyards have been cultivated in this area since at least 600 B.C., and by the 13th century the wines of the region were being served to the Pope, who during the 13th century resided in nearby Avignon rather than in Rome. The prestige associated with the reds preferred by the Pope led to the name Châteauneuf-du-Pape, or the “new home of the pope.” The region is generally divided into north and south when discussing wine types, and there are many appellations within the valley. Along with Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne, Rhône wines are among France’s best known and most collected wines.