2004 Domaine du Tunnel Cornas Vin Noir

Domaine du Tunnel was founded in 1994 when then 24-year-old Stéphane Robert and his wife Sandrine purchased plots in Saint-Joseph, Saint-Peray and Cornas. They named their domaine after the 500-foot stone tunnel that runs beneath the hilly site. Robert had previously worked at several Saint-Joseph domaines. Robert now works 20 vineyard acres in the three appellations and has earned a reputation as game-changing vigneron in newly burnished region. Nearly all the estate’s wines are vinified in stainless steel then aged for 14 months in oak barrels. He makes reds and whites. Vinous has noted that “Stéphane Robert’s wines strike a balance between traditional and modern in style, and they continue to rise in quality…”

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.