2018 Cornas Reynard

For Thierry Allemand, 2019 “gave a unique combination of depth and energy. Acidity and pH levels are strong for such ripe fruit and dark personality.” So are the tannins, he added, “but they are substantial without being rigid.” Much the same can be said for 2018, he added, “even if the structure is more pronounced, at least for now.” Ever the vineyard-centric vigneron, Allemand said that “careful attention to farming was critical in both years to avoid overripe fruit, otherwise you lost terroir and made a wine of the vintage rather than a wine of the place.”

For Thierry Allemand, 2019 “gave a unique combination of depth and energy. Acidity and pH levels are strong for such ripe fruit and dark personality.” So are the tannins, he added, “but they are substantial without being rigid.” Much the same can be said for 2018, he added, “even if the structure is more pronounced, at least for now.” Ever the vineyard-centric vigneron, Allemand said that “careful attention to farming was critical in both years to avoid overripe fruit, otherwise you lost terroir and made a wine of the vintage rather than a wine of the place.”

According to Thierry Allemand 2018 is a solid vintage “with a healthy crop, finally.” The quality of the fruit, “was excellent and pH levels are maybe a little on the high side but not so much to make the wines heavy or lacking energy, he said. He noted the rainy winter, “which helped to build up water reserves in the vineyards” and then the rains in June made for some mildew pressure but lots of time in the vines and careful farming “as always made that not an enormous issue.” The hot weather that followed sped up ripening but not dramatically so and made for a very early harvest by historical standards, “as early as the first week of September and the fruit had fresh acidity.” Unfortunately, when I visited in February, Allemand’s 2017s had only recently been blended, they were in no shape to taste, so I will have to wait to take a look at them in bottle.

Despite the low yields that he attained in 2017, “thanks to very little rain and the hot weather, which didn’t break until toward the end of summer,” Thierry Allemand is quite satisfied with the wines, which he calls “richer than usual, because of the small grapes, but not so structured that they’ll need long aging.” He pointed to late flowering hindering a normal crop, but especially pointed out that there was roughly 50% less rain than usual during the growing season, “and so we got small bunches and tiny grapes, with not much juice.” Interestingly, Allemand added, “even though the grapes were small, so lots of skin presence during the winemaking, the tannins aren’t so hard.” He said that a rough comparison might be made to 2009 in that regard. “A hot year can mean lots of tannin and, of course, overripeness, but those don’t look to be problems.”

Allemand’s 2016s have lived up to their initial promise and vividly display the freshness of the vintage as well as the sharp detail and balance that have launched his Cornas bottlings into the upper echelon of the northern Rhône for quality as well as, unfortunately, price and scarcity. Not that I have any quarrel with the prices these wines command, given that Allemand works his steeply terraced, 4.4 hectares of vineyards entirely by hand and, as anybody who has had the chance to see or walk through them (very, very carefully) will vouch, they are impeccably maintained, to a garden-like degree. I’m always surprised, in a good way, by how well Allemand’s wines show on the young side, especially if they are given a little air time. That said, their track record for aging is impeccable, even in supposedly weaker vintages, as bottles of the 1994 and 1996 Chaillot and 1998 Reynard have proven recently.

Fans of Allemand's finely etched Cornas should start saving their pennies (dollars, in reality, and lots of them) for his 2016s, which are looking to be among the very best wines I have tasted from him since I started visiting 14 years ago, not to mention drinking them since the 1996 vintage. It figures that in a vintage that emphasizes elegance and detail, like 2016, Allemand would excel. Allemand’s wines always seem to come out near the top of my tastings in lighter vintages like 2014, 2012, and 2008. Not that he doesn't perform in richer vintages such as 2015, 2009 and 2007, but in those years, as Allemand likes to point out, the growing season and the fruit can outpace terroir which isn't his objective. During my last visit I was able to taste a half dozen of 2017 barrels that finished malo. If the wines mature as Allemand thinks they will, 2017 will be a theoretical cross of 2016 (balance) and 2015 (power). Yields in 2017 were pitifully low (off by almost 50%) due to cold weather during flowering that resulted in short quantity of grape clusters, plus a dry season that stunted vine growth. As a consequence, tracking the wines down will be an even more arduous task than usual.

An unabashed enthusiast of elegant wines, Thierry Allemand told me that while he admires the 2015s for their concentration and power, it’s vintages like 2014 and, especially, 2016 that get him the most excited. “Great wines have detail, which is hard to achieve in hot years when the wines are ripe and also in years that feature serious structure, like 2010 or 2005,” he said. He added that his 2015s show greater freshness and elegance than, for example, his ‘09s and definitely his ‘03s, very ripe vintages that were short on balancing acidity, “making for big wines and not especially fine ones. The ‘15s will be energetic and will probably also age longer.” All that said, I guess I like Allemand’s ‘15s better than he appears to, as they avoid any superripe character and simply possess greater depth than any wines I’ve tasted here since the ‘09s, which are still far short of entering what I would consider to be their plane of peak drinkability.

Calling 2014 "a seriously challenging and stressful vintage,” Thierry Allemand added that it "required a lot of work in the vineyards because the fruit flies attacked strongly and the fruit had to be very carefully selected." Coupled with the delayed ripening caused by the cool summer, "it is definitely a vintage where the best growers stood out." The relative softness of acids and tannins in the '14s will make them better wines to enjoy young than the '13s, he thinks, "and they show very good depth and richness" that might make them age surprisingly well, "since they have plenty of fruit to age on."

Thierry Allemand admits that he isn’t always the biggest fan of ripe vintages because “unless you had cool nights to compensate, the wines can’t express elegance and look more like the fruit than the place.” In lighter vintages, on the other hand, “you can usually see more detail” in the wines, especially when they’re young. The 2014s here make a good case for his theory. Raised in neutral oak barrels of varying size and a handful of neutral foudres, they are already showing aromatic complexity but are balanced to age. Allemand’s wines don’t impress with richness or power - although they are far from wimpy – but rather with complexity and balance. Indeed, they are usually the most graceful of all the wines produced in Cornas. And they also age superbly, as recent bottles of 1996 Reynard and 1998 Chaillot (both mature but with a good decade of life ahead of them) have proven to me in the last year.

Calling 2014 "a seriously challenging and stressful vintage,” Thierry Allemand added that it "required a lot of work in the vineyards because the fruit flies attacked strongly and the fruit had to be very carefully selected." Coupled with the delayed ripening caused by the cool summer, "it is definitely a vintage where the best growers stood out." The relative softness of acids and tannins in the '14s will make them better wines to enjoy young than the '13s, he thinks, "and they show very good depth and richness" that might make them age surprisingly well, "since they have plenty of fruit to age on."

Calling 2014 "a seriously challenging and stressful vintage,” Thierry Allemand added that it "required a lot of work in the vineyards because the fruit flies attacked strongly and the fruit had to be very carefully selected." Coupled with the delayed ripening caused by the cool summer, "it is definitely a vintage where the best growers stood out." The relative softness of acids and tannins in the '14s will make them better wines to enjoy young than the '13s, he thinks, "and they show very good depth and richness" that might make them age surprisingly well, "since they have plenty of fruit to age on."

Allemand took me through a selection of barrels of his 2014s, all of which had completed their malos in mid-December. As the wines settle down he'll begin the process of making his blends, and based on the quick snapshot that I got, these are going to be wines to buy. That's assuming that one can find and afford them, which is pretty much always the challenge with this domain's wines now. We also tasted the barrels that he has narrowed down for his 2013 bottlings but the final blends had not been completed when I visited here in mid-December.

"Remember what produce used to smell like?" Thierry Allemand asked me as we drove through apricot and peach orchards on our way up to his cellar from his house in the hip SoCo (southern Cornas) neighborhood. "I would come home from school and if my mother or grandmother had been to the market you could tell what they had bought when you opened the door. Now, with the crap [he actually used a stronger word] that they plant you'd need a pallet of it to get the aroma of a small basket back in the '60s." This was part of our ongoing discussion about modern clonal plants and commercial fruit-growing. Needless to say, Allemand's vineyard approach is "pro-character," as he put it. "When growers put expediency ahead of quality, they've gone in the wrong direction and the wines lose their personality and terroir," he told me. Allemand feels just as strongly about the use of whole clusters in fermentations, which he believes is "the traditional way of making wine here; it was going on long before commerce took over. That's why the great older wines are the model for serious producers everywhere."

Thierry Allemand called 2011 "a true year of terroir, while 2010 and 2009, even more, are years of the year," explaining that the earlier vintages are as much about the growing conditions of each season as they are about geography. Fans of Allemand's light touch and the elegant wines he produces should flip out for his '11s, which, based on my barrel-tasting, should be energetic and tightly focused, with plenty of fruit and no excess weight. Toward the end of my trip I poured a bottle of the 2004 Chaillot, blind, to a group of winemakers in Gigondas, with very interesting results. None of them had ever had an Allemand wine before but they all agreed that the wine was likely a Cornas, though a more elegant rendition than they'd ever drunk. Two of them simultaneously ventured that "for it to be a Cornas and this fine, it must be Allemand, given what (we've) heard about the wines." Not a bad guess. I had the chance to try the 2009s here in New York, and while they are extremely young, their potential is clear to see. I suspect that I underrated them when I tasted them with Allemand in November of 2011. If my scores fail to convey how impressive I find Thierry Allemand's work, year in and out, let me state unequivocally that there is no estate in the entire Rhone Valley making finer wines.

Thierry Allemand called 2011 "a true year of terroir, while 2010 and 2009, even more, are years of the year," explaining that the earlier vintages are as much about the growing conditions of each season as they are about geography.Fans of Allemand's light touch and the elegant wines he produces should flip out for his '11s, which, based on my barrel-tasting, should be energetic and tightly focused, with plenty of fruit and no excess weight.Toward the end of my trip I poured a bottle of the 2004 Chaillot, blind, to a group of winemakers in Gigondas, with very interesting results.None of them had ever had an Allemand wine before but they all agreed that the wine was likely a Cornas, though a more elegant rendition than they'd ever drunk.Two of them simultaneously ventured that "for it to be a Cornas and this fine, it must be Allemand, given what (we've) heard about the wines."Not a bad guess.I had the chance to try the 2009s here in New York,and while they are extremely young, their potential is clear to see. I suspect that I underrated them when I tasted them with Allemand in November of 2011.If my scores fail to convey how impressive I find Thierry Allemand's work, year in and out, let me state unequivocally that there is no estate in the entire Rhone Valley making finer wines.

"Well-balanced wines with tannins that are stronger than they appear to be right now," is how Thierry Allemand described his 2010s when I saw him in November.He thinks that the 2010s show all of the qualities that make up Cornas--"fruit, flowers, spice and structure"--and that they are destined for a slow, steady evolution.The 2009s, on the other hand "have a more serious side, with the tannins and structure dominating.There's strong fruit underneath but the wines will require some age to be expressive."He added that fans of elegant Cornas should get ready for 2011, which he describes as "a lot like 2004 but brighter, with a lot of floral character."

"Well-balanced wines with tannins that are stronger than they appear to be right now," is how Thierry Allemand described his 2010s when I saw him in November.He thinks that the 2010s show all of the qualities that make up Cornas--"fruit, flowers, spice and structure"--and that they are destined for a slow, steady evolution.The 2009s, on the other hand "have a more serious side, with the tannins and structure dominating.There's strong fruit underneath but the wines will require some age to be expressive."He added that fans of elegant Cornas should get ready for 2011, which he describes as "a lot like 2004 but brighter, with a lot of floral character."

"Chaptalization is a crutch for people who aren't careful about getting proper ripeness in the vineyard," Thierry Allemand told me in November. "That shouldn't be a concern in Cornas but it's abused nonetheless. If it isn't done judiciously it gives an artificial impression of fruit and a heaviness to the wine. That makes it tiring to drink, especially with food, and of course it's a distraction from the wine's real character." He reiterated his commitment to minimal sulfur treatments and told me that his 2008s received the absolute minimum that he could manage and still be assured of their ability to be shipped. "It's risky but there's no question that the more you push up your sulfur treatment the more you mask and deaden the fruit. You trade the purity of the wine for the assurance of stability, which unquestionably is a compromise."

"Chaptalization is a crutch for people who aren't careful about getting proper ripeness in the vineyard," Thierry Allemand told me in November. "That shouldn't be a concern in Cornas but it's abused nonetheless. If it isn't done judiciously it gives an artificial impression of fruit and a heaviness to the wine. That makes it tiring to drink, especially with food, and of course it's a distraction from the wine's real character." He reiterated his commitment to minimal sulfur treatments and told me that his 2008s received the absolute minimum that he could manage and still be assured of their ability to be shipped. "It's risky but there's no question that the more you push up your sulfur treatment the more you mask and deaden the fruit. You trade the purity of the wine for the assurance of stability, which unquestionably is a compromise."

"At their best the 2008s are highly aromatic and spicy, but they aren't wines that you want to wait on for too long," Thierry Allemand told me in November. He hadn't made a decision yet (as usual) about what, exactly, he'll bottle from this difficult vintage but he seemed to be leaning to making a single wine. "The '08s will be good to drink while you wait on the '05s, '06s and '07s but there's no way that they'll come close for complexity or concentration." Allemand noted that 2007 is looking a lot like 2004. "There's good energy and expression and the wines are well-balanced. In many ways they are classic and they'll be surprisingly long-lived because of that balance. People who are obsessed with power probably won't appreciate them, which is too bad for them." Those 2007s were bottled three days after I tasted them, on November 9.

"Two thousand six is a very fine vintage," according to Allemand. "It will age gracefully on its balance, and the wines are very evocative of Cornas, with all the components in place. Two thousand seven will come out with more power, but not like the 2005s, which people should not be drinking too young. " Tasting here is always interesting, if a bit confusing, as Allemand works with a broad range of cuvees that change every year, and he makes final blending decisions late in the game. In some years he also sets aside certain lots for a non-sulfured bottling when he feels that the quality justifies it. Sadly for us, that wine is not brought into the U. S. by the authorized importer. I continue to be mightily impressed by Allemand's wines and consider him among the very best producers in the northern Rhone valley today.

When asked his opinion on the most recent vintages, Thierry Allemand replied, "I prefer 2004 to 2005; there's better balance and I like elegance and finesse. It's much more rare to find an elegant wine than a dramatic one. It's difficult to achieve finesse and subtlety." Warming to the subject, he asked, "why isn't elegance dramatic? I'm in the Rhone, not Australia, and I want my wines to express that characteristic." Allemand routinely begins with some of the lowest yields in the northern Rhone-usually in the 25-28 hl/ha range-and his wines usually clock in at 14. 5%+ natural alcohol, but it's barely, if at all, noticeable. He never de-stems his fruit, uses minimal new oak, and is adamantly opposed to any but the most necessary actions in the cellar.

Allemand recently built a new cuverie 400 meters up thex000D hill above Cornas, and the drive there on a miserably rainy day in November wasx000D hair-raising. As it's considerablyx000D cooler here than on the valley floor, the fermentations of the 2001s went morex000D slowly than in previous years, which Allemand believes will enable him to craftx000D wines with greater finesse. Followingx000D the fermentations in new, smaller cuves, the wines went directly into barrelsx000D by gravity (the sugars actually finished in the barriques, and the malolacticsx000D had just ended prior to my visit), where they will get a full 18 months ofx000D aging. Allemand continues to use veryx000D low levels of sulfur, but he still felt that the tiny amount he added at thex000D harvest in 2000 is responsible for the hardness of these wines today. If the 2001s are as spectacular in bottle asx000D they were in barrel in November, they will be the most complete wines Allemandx000D has made to date. Thanks to a highx000D percentage of very old vines, yields were in the low 31 hectoliters-per-hectarex000D range in both 2001 and 2000.

Allemand recently built a new cuverie 400 meters up thex000D hill above Cornas, and the drive there on a miserably rainy day in November wasx000D hair-raising. As it's considerablyx000D cooler here than on the valley floor, the fermentations of the 2001s went morex000D slowly than in previous years, which Allemand believes will enable him to craftx000D wines with greater finesse. Followingx000D the fermentations in new, smaller cuves, the wines went directly into barrelsx000D by gravity (the sugars actually finished in the barriques, and the malolacticsx000D had just ended prior to my visit), where they will get a full 18 months ofx000D aging. Allemand continues to use veryx000D low levels of sulfur, but he still felt that the tiny amount he added at thex000D harvest in 2000 is responsible for the hardness of these wines today. If the 2001s are as spectacular in bottle asx000D they were in barrel in November, they will be the most complete wines Allemandx000D has made to date. Thanks to a highx000D percentage of very old vines, yields were in the low 31 hectoliters-per-hectarex000D range in both 2001 and 2000.

There may be no better source of domain-bottled Cornas today than Thierry Allemand. Allemand's wines, thanks to his high percentage of ancient vines, are concentrated, clear expressions of Cornas with unusual verve and flavor definition. Not surprisingly, Allemand did well in the 2000 vintage. In fact, he told me in November, "2000 brought the same yields and the same sugar levels as '99, but the wines have more roundness, more finesse, better acidity. In 1999, he explained, the ripeness came with a rush at the last minute, bringing down acid levels in the grapes. "These wines are very concentrated, but they're more like Rasteau than Cornas," he said. Because the yield was low in his very old Reynard plot, "the '99 is almost too powerful," according to Allemand, who generally prefers years with normal grape sugars over the freakishly ripe years.

There may be no better source of domain-bottled Cornas today than Thierry Allemand. Allemand's wines, thanks to his high percentage of ancient vines, are concentrated, clear expressions of Cornas with unusual verve and flavor definition. Not surprisingly, Allemand did well in the 2000 vintage. In fact, he told me in November, "2000 brought the same yields and the same sugar levels as '99, but the wines have more roundness, more finesse, better acidity. In 1999, he explained, the ripeness came with a rush at the last minute, bringing down acid levels in the grapes. "These wines are very concentrated, but they're more like Rasteau than Cornas," he said. Because the yield was low in his very old Reynard plot, "the '99 is almost too powerful," according to Allemand, who generally prefers years with normal grape sugars over the freakishly ripe years.

Allemand is one of a few Cornas growers who prefers '98 to '99. "The '98s are fuller wines, and they've always been open," he explained, "while the '99s are thus far less expressive." Allemand compared his '98s to his outstanding '91s. Very low yields and high grape sugars resulted in extremely rich wines in '98, though it must be noted that Allemand did not need to chaptalize in 1999 or 2000 either. Allemand uses one- and two-year-old barriques but never brand-new barrels. "Wood doesn't bring anything to Cornas except faults," he explains matter-of-factly. Allemand is in the process of having another chai built; among the advantages this new facility will offer is the space to do his malolactic fermentations in barriques

Allemand is one of a few Cornas growers who prefers '98 to '99. "The '98s are fuller wines, and they've always been open," he explained, "while the '99s are thus far less expressive." Allemand compared his '98s to his outstanding '91s. Very low yields and high grape sugars resulted in extremely rich wines in '98, though it must be noted that Allemand did not need to chaptalize in 1999 or 2000 either. Allemand uses one- and two-year-old barriques but never brand-new barrels. "Wood doesn't bring anything to Cornas except faults," he explains matter-of-factly. Allemand is in the process of having another chai built; among the advantages this new facility will offer is the space to do his malolactic fermentations in barriques

Allemand harvested late in '96 and has bottled Cornas with very good ripeness and texture-as well as a wider range of aromas than most examples from the appellation. Allemand describes his '97 as round, pleasant, easy-to-drink wines that will develop quickly. Water stress in August dried the grapes and produced more supple wines than usual, he adds. Allemand told me that his mother brought samples of his '97s to the local enology lab in Valence, which advised him to add tartaric acidity. He had to assure the enologist that acidification wasn't necessary. Allemand, who has a high percentage of old vines, reported that overall yields were just under 30 hectoliters per hectare in both '97 and '96.

Allemand harvested late in '96 and has bottled Cornas with very good ripeness and texture-as well as a wider range of aromas than most examples from the appellation. Allemand describes his '97 as round, pleasant, easy-to-drink wines that will develop quickly. Water stress in August dried the grapes and produced more supple wines than usual, he adds. Allemand told me that his mother brought samples of his '97s to the local enology lab in Valence, which advised him to add tartaric acidity. He had to assure the enologist that acidification wasn't necessary. Allemand, who has a high percentage of old vines, reported that overall yields were just under 30 hectoliters per hectare in both '97 and '96.