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51 Cornas AC 2006 Empreintes
Eric & Joel DurandGrape:100% Syrah (13.5% alc.)
Empreintes is the main cuvée from this very promising domaine. It comes from vines from Cornas’ top lieu-dits Chaillots and Reynards, and is aged in new to five year old barrels. On the nose there is a wonderful blast of black fruits, mint, liquorice, violets and irony stamp from the granitic soil. Ripe black cherries with a hint of spice and well-integrated oak mark the palate, and the wine is both balanced and elegant. Thrown a natural deposit, so carafing advised. For drinking now to 2014.
Technical Information Winemaker: Eric & Joel Durand Location: Châteaubourg Size of
domaine:12 hectares in total (5 hectares of Cornas, 7 hectares of St Joseph) Grape: 100% Syrah (10 to 40 hr old vines) – 4/5 different clones used. Planted on 3309 and 161.49 rootstock. 6000-7,000 vines per hectare in gobelet and single guyot formation. Terroir: 30% Chaillots, 15% Reynards, 30% les Côtes, 25% Coulet main sites for this wine. South & south-east facing. Granite bedrock, top soils of decomposed granite, some limestone, clay and gneiss. Vines on terraces supported by granite stone walls. Steep hillsides (40%). Viticulture: Empreintes is their main cuvée of Cornas (representing 60% of production). Also young vine ‘Premises’, and top cuvée ‘Confidence’. Debud and carry out vendanges en vert. Both plough (3/4 times a year) the soil between the vines and cut back grass that grows. Use sulphur against oidium. Very irregularly add a little organic manure (not done over last 5 years). Visual aspect of leaf to grape ratio very important. 37/38 hectos per hectare. Manual harvest. Vinification: Grapes chilled down in lorry for 24 hours after harvest. Then carry out 4 day cold maceration at 8-12°C. 100% destalked. Pigeage by hand and remontage during alcoholic fermentation. Temperature is 28°C so as not to extract too much. When the sugars have fermented out they ensure that the cap is immersed and carry out a few pigeages only. 18-28 days cuvaison. Press lightly (pneumatic) and the first gentle pressing is assembled from the start. Transferred to barrels (20% new oak then 2 /3/4 yr ex Desmeure) that are mix of 600 ltr demi-muid (50%) and 228ltr fûts (50%) for malo-lactic fermentation completed. Racked in spring and end of summer. Fined with egg white and filtered by kieselghur. Bottled in Feb after 17 months. Press: