Alain Voge - Cornas Chapelle Saint Pierre 2019

Since its inception in 1958, Alain Voge joined his father to work on the small typical farm and decided to specialize in wine. At the time, it was an audacious decision: despite their history, the Cornas and Saint Peray appellations were forgotten sleeping beauties. Very quickly, he extended the vineyards in places which had remained uncultivated over the last 30 years and developed the sales of his bottled wines. Supported by his wife Eliane, he visited the best national and regional restaurants to make his wines known. Thanks to their quality and to Alain Voge’s creative approach, the domain’s reputation rapidly increased. Dedicated to Syrah and Marsanne. Our wines are the expression of their terroir, for the pleasure of lovers, all over the world.

Lionel Fraise, a Saint-Péray native, took over Domaine Alain Voge’s winemaking duties in 2018 and is maintaining the excellent standard established by his predecessor, Albéric Mazoyer, as evidenced by Voge’s 2020, 2019 and 2018 releases. The fruit here is usually de-stemmed to some percentage, but there is no set recipe. It all depends on the vintage, Fraise told me. While the wines are aged in small oak barrels, up to 25% of them new, their influence on resulting wines is not especially perceptible after a few years of bottle age, which these wines always demand.

The 2019 Cornas Chapelle Saint Pierre comes from the St. Pierre lieu-dit and would generally go into the Vieilles Vignes cuvée, but due to its unique character, the estate has opted to bottle it separately. The St. Pierre lieu-dit is a high-density planting from 1999 and the grapes were partially destemmed and the wine spent 20 months in used barrels. Beautiful black cherry, blueberry, cassis, exotic flower, and spice notes define the bouquet, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a layered, textured mouthfeel, building tannins, and a great finish. It shows the ripe yet also fresh style of the vintage nicely. Hide bottles for 5-7 years and enjoy over the following 15 years or more. It's a brilliant wine from this team I'd be thrilled to have in the cellar. There are a scant 2,500 bottles made.