2012 Domaine du Coulet (Matthieu Barret) Cornas Gore, 1.5ltr

Domaine du Coulet (Matthieu Barret) is a 40-acre estate established in 1998 by Matthieu Barret, who was at the time a 23-year-old winemaker. Barret immediately began the process of turning his enterprise into a biodynamic domaine, and in 2002 he received his biodynamic certification. Despite Barret’s relative recent entry into the Cornas appellation, he is winning compliments and very good reviews for his limited production wines, both red and white. Wine Spectator has written that “Matthieu Barret represents the future in Cornas. His domaine is, in my opinion, the single most exciting new domaine in the appellation today.” Wine Advocate has rated some of the wines in the high 90s, and many of the wines in the low- to mid-90s. In 2014 Wine Advocate’s reviewer wrote this: “To say I was blown away by the new releases from the young Matthieu Barret would be an understatement…. All of these are brilliant wines that I can't recommend enough!

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.