Auguste Clape

Monsieur Clape's Cornas is systematically considered the best in the appellation, constantly attaining the most amazing levels of excellence. There is always a extremely deep purple, almost black colour that exudes a never ending array of rich complex aromas of dried fruits, liquorice, spice and pepper. The sheer power and concentration of the wine on the palate is overwhelming. The attack is sensational, followed with an incredible volume of ...

The Clapes have been vignerons for many generations, but the infamous grower strikes of 1906 and 1907 forced his grandfather out of the Languedoc and into the Northern Rhône to start anew from practically nothing. The Clapes rebuilt their fortunes, terrace-by-terrace, along the steep, western slopes of the Rhône River. For many years, the majority of growers in Cornas sold their fruit to négociants. Auguste was the first to bottle his own wine...

Vineyards size: 7.5 ha (5.5 ha Cornas + 1 ha Cotes du Rhone & Vin de Table)

Though the Clapes farm only eight hectares, the challenge presented by the rough, tightly stacked terrace vineyards of Cornas is largely enough to handle by anybody’s standards. The dicey precipices make using any machinery in the vineyards impossible. All work must be done by hand. There are no official rules to their viticultural methodology—they work the old-fash...

Monsieur Clape is a true traditionalist when it comes to wine making, taking the utmost care and attention at every stage of the process. Following manual harvesting, the grapes for the Cornas are placed immediately in cement vats for fermentation, without de-stemming. The fermentations take place at between 30 and 34°C, with a maceration period of 12 to 13 days, depending upon the vintage. During the fermentation Monsieur Clape performs "pige...

Whilst many of the younger, more profit minded wine makers have tried to extend the boundaries of the Cornas appellation and increase the permitted yield of the vines, Auguste Clape has strongly resisted their proposals, continually defending the quality and good name of Cornas.
In his fifties, Monsieur Clape went back to school to study viticulture at Beaune. He learnt and accepted many of their theories, but refused to accept the "new oak" ...