2020 Lionnet Cornas Pure Granit
Grape
Syrah
Its Origins
Domaine Lionnet is an estate with older vines that has been in family hands since 1575. Run since 2003 by daughter Corinne Lionnet and her husband Ludovic Izerable, their ethic of extreme care and non-intervention allows them to balance traditional values with modern techniques of quality control. "A traditional Cornas domaine [where] quality is rising as the wines have become fresher. It has been organic since 2007, officially organic since 2012. Daughter Corinne is encouraging greater bottling and small tidy-ups are occurring in the cellar - glassing the interior of the vats, for instance. Whole bunch fermentation, no cultured yeasts - leave-alone winemaking - mean the wine is full with apparent tannins when young. It is a genuine drop of country wine. The first vintage for Corinne and Ludovic was 2003. Since 2008 one hectare of Cornas - from massale Syrah cuttings - has been added on Saint-Pierre, quite high up. This now forms the second Cornas called Pur Granit, and given the combination of young vines and altitude, it is a streamlined, direct wine, with good clarity." Drinkrhone.com
What The Critics Say
95/100 Vinous, Josh Raynolds
Dark purple. Displays an array of mineral- and spice-accented dark fruit and floral scents, along with suggestions of olive, licorice and pipe tobacco. Densely packed blackcurrant and bitter cherry flavors slowly flesh out and become spicier and more lively through the back half. Powerful tannins add grip to a strikingly long, smoky finish that emphatically repeats the mineral and spice notes. Drinking Window 2025 - 2035. Domaine Lionnet delivers highly expressive, unadorned and elegant wines that greatly please old-school purists. With only 2.2 hectares in Cornas and another 1.8 in Saint-Joseph, these wines have never been easy to find, and increasing attention from the market has not made things any easier. Corinne Lionnet, her husband, Ludovic Izerable, who makes the wines, and now their son, Luca, work in a strictly hands-off fashion. The wines are made with whole clusters and native yeast raised in large oak barrels, almost none of them new and, recently, some amphoras, with which they are quite pleased. Today, I would count this Domaine’s wines among the best from Cornas.
94/100 Vinous, Josh Raynolds (2019 vintage)
"Vibrant, spice- and mineral-tinged dark berry and cherry aromas are complemented by suggestions of olive, licorice and pungent flowers. Energetic, appealingly sweet black and blue fruit and candied violet flavors deepen with air while a smoky mineral element adds lift and back-end cut. Velvety tannins add gentle grip to an impressively long, floral-driven finish that leaves a repeating floral note behind."
94/100 Parker's Wine Advocate, Joe Czerwinski (2017 vintage)
"A remarkable achievement for young vines and only the second commercial release, Lionnet's 2017 Cornas Pur Granit comes from high atop the slope of Cornas, in the Saint-Pierre lieu-dit. Intricate notions of herbs and violets entwine blueberry fruit in this full-bodied, rich, velvety wine. It shows tremendous length and real tannic depth on the finish. Although the vines are young, they're massal selections chosen from the domaine's old vines lower down the hill, so perhaps that accounts for some of this wine's impressive quality."
| Variety | Shiraz / Syrah |
|---|---|
| Region | Rhone |
| Closure | Cork |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Maturity | 2023 - 2036 |
This Wine Goes Well With
Taste
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If for any reason you are not entirely happy with your order or you suspect that they may be affected by a quality issue, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will remedy the problem straight away. Contact us on 0800 422 767.
