Domaine Vincent Paris
BRAND OWNER
Vincent Pari is a modest man, just old-fashioned look, retro sideburns… Otherwise, everyone speaks for him in the vineyards — in his applying Kornas Vincent is far from being a backward but one of the new stars. Course, he was lucky with practice — Vincent’s uncle was Robert Michel — a coryphaeus and unquestioning authority for all winemakers of this Rhone appellation, but without his own talent and hard work, there would be no Domaine Vincent Paris. The first two vintages and started by Vincent in 1997 were a collaboration with his uncle, then the young man set off on an independent voyage. Now, he is in the process of building his own premises for the winery, and for the soul has already planted an apricot grove in the backyard.
"It all started with one hectare in Kornas, then vines were bought in Saint-Joseph, and little by little things. Now I have 8 hectares, most of it is inherited from my grandfather, some of the vines there are 90 years old. Then I rented and later bought from Uncle Robert his premium plots, including Genale, which has the shape of an amphitheater.
Today Vincent is an important figure, co-chairman of the Cornas designation board. Domaine Vincent Paris produces about 30,000 bottles a year, Kornas itself accounts for 2/3 of the volume.
Appellation is surrounded by thick forests, Vincent considers them a real blessings for all ecosystems in the region, not just vineyards. As for the latter, he practices a very strict pruning of excess shoots, leaving only four on the vine (the norm for Kornas is 5−7), and also applies a green fee. Insecticides and most chemicals are prohibited extremely dosed on the steepest slopes, herbicide is used, otherwise the slippery grass will be a danger to the life of the harvesters. In less extreme areas, the grass is cut by hand.
"It all started with one hectare in Kornas, then vines were bought in Saint-Joseph, and little by little things. Now I have 8 hectares, most of it is inherited from my grandfather, some of the vines there are 90 years old. Then I rented and later bought from Uncle Robert his premium plots, including Genale, which has the shape of an amphitheater.
Today Vincent is an important figure, co-chairman of the Cornas designation board. Domaine Vincent Paris produces about 30,000 bottles a year, Kornas itself accounts for 2/3 of the volume.
Appellation is surrounded by thick forests, Vincent considers them a real blessings for all ecosystems in the region, not just vineyards. As for the latter, he practices a very strict pruning of excess shoots, leaving only four on the vine (the norm for Kornas is 5−7), and also applies a green fee. Insecticides and most chemicals are prohibited extremely dosed on the steepest slopes, herbicide is used, otherwise the slippery grass will be a danger to the life of the harvesters. In less extreme areas, the grass is cut by hand.
The grapes are partially destemmed (percentage of destemming always depends on the specific site), fermentation lasts 3−4 weeks and takes place at low temperatures. The wine is aged for several months in a stainless steel vat, and then a year in old barrels aged 2 to 8 years. The wine undergoes light fining and is bottled without filtration.
"In recent years, I had to expand the line. I simply stopped having enough products from Kornas and Saint-Joseph," continues Vincent. "My task is to expand the circle of people interested not only in my wine, but also in general to draw attention to the wines of the Northern Rhone. It is no secret that our region has largely lost its popularity. This is how Syrah VdP and Crozes-Hermitage appeared, more understandable and simpler specimens. I hope that through them enthusiasts will move on to deeper and more complex wines."
Of the 8 hectares of vineyard plantings in Saint-Joseph and Vin de Pays, only 2 hectares, the rest is in Kornas, including the historic Genale vineyard with 1910 vines. Grapes from there are used to create a rare cuvee La Geynale. Additionally, to Genale the assemblage includes 20−30% of berries from the neighboring Reynard parcel. Factually, the name cuvée gracefully refers to both vineyards. Additionally, wine, Vincent pays tribute to the granite soils of Kornas by releasing two more wines: Granit 30 and Granit 60 — the number symbolizes the gradient of the steep hillside where the berries are collected. If the first cuvée is rather an expression of the character of the Syrah variety, then the second is a typical Kornas with its depth, pressure and explosive minerality.
Vincent Paris believes his region like no one else: "In the 20th century, our winemakers suffered from darkness. That is, many have heard about the designation, but why buy some kind of Kornas when there are Côte-Roti and the Hermitage to the south — Chateauneuf and neighboring Saint-Joseph is much more famous, isn’t it? It took time for us to turn this neglect and the modest size of the appeal to our advantage. Indeed, the vineyards of Kornas occupy only 110 hectares on the west bank of the Rhone — the same Saint-Joseph, lying to the north is 20 times larger. According to the small size of the allotments, the winemakers of Kornas monitor the quality of their products much more carefully than the more careless neighbors. Of course, it is difficult for us to compete with the Hermitage and Côte-Roti but firstly, we have the same famous granite slopes and a large number of sunny days. Secondly, compare prices for stylistically similar Cote-Roti and Kornas!
We work exclusively with the syrah variety which allows us to deeply study its aspects. The archetype of Kornas is rich, strong, deep wines programmed for long aging, with mature, juicy tannins, but, on the other hand, one and a half kilometers from the village of Kornas, the vineyards of the Saint-Pere appellation, famous for its sparkling wines, begin. As you might guess, it is much cooler there, and we share the same alluvial plateau. Accordingly, our wines will be more mineral than, for example, in Saint-Joseph."
The best vineyards of Kornas are located in the northwest of the commune, at an elevation of 350 meters. As in Côte Roti, these areas are terraced, and the vines stoically take rich sunbaths.
Translated from the Celtic dialect, Cornas means "scorched earth" (and Cote-Rotie means "fried slope"), so there is plenty of sun on the west bank of the Rhone, and the vineyards only benefit from the cold north wind that periodically walks through the valley. Granite subsoils are considered the most valuable asset of the Rhone terroirs — they accumulate daytime heat, provide quick drainage, and besides, granite naturally limits yields, encouraging vines to take root deeply in poor soil — survival of the fittest.
Indeed, in the last century, Kornas was on the periphery of the attention of oenophiles, but now, after rising prices for wines from more popular appellations and a simultaneous increase in the quality of their wines, Kornas is one of the most sought after regions of the Rhone.
"In recent years, I had to expand the line. I simply stopped having enough products from Kornas and Saint-Joseph," continues Vincent. "My task is to expand the circle of people interested not only in my wine, but also in general to draw attention to the wines of the Northern Rhone. It is no secret that our region has largely lost its popularity. This is how Syrah VdP and Crozes-Hermitage appeared, more understandable and simpler specimens. I hope that through them enthusiasts will move on to deeper and more complex wines."
Of the 8 hectares of vineyard plantings in Saint-Joseph and Vin de Pays, only 2 hectares, the rest is in Kornas, including the historic Genale vineyard with 1910 vines. Grapes from there are used to create a rare cuvee La Geynale. Additionally, to Genale the assemblage includes 20−30% of berries from the neighboring Reynard parcel. Factually, the name cuvée gracefully refers to both vineyards. Additionally, wine, Vincent pays tribute to the granite soils of Kornas by releasing two more wines: Granit 30 and Granit 60 — the number symbolizes the gradient of the steep hillside where the berries are collected. If the first cuvée is rather an expression of the character of the Syrah variety, then the second is a typical Kornas with its depth, pressure and explosive minerality.
Vincent Paris believes his region like no one else: "In the 20th century, our winemakers suffered from darkness. That is, many have heard about the designation, but why buy some kind of Kornas when there are Côte-Roti and the Hermitage to the south — Chateauneuf and neighboring Saint-Joseph is much more famous, isn’t it? It took time for us to turn this neglect and the modest size of the appeal to our advantage. Indeed, the vineyards of Kornas occupy only 110 hectares on the west bank of the Rhone — the same Saint-Joseph, lying to the north is 20 times larger. According to the small size of the allotments, the winemakers of Kornas monitor the quality of their products much more carefully than the more careless neighbors. Of course, it is difficult for us to compete with the Hermitage and Côte-Roti but firstly, we have the same famous granite slopes and a large number of sunny days. Secondly, compare prices for stylistically similar Cote-Roti and Kornas!
We work exclusively with the syrah variety which allows us to deeply study its aspects. The archetype of Kornas is rich, strong, deep wines programmed for long aging, with mature, juicy tannins, but, on the other hand, one and a half kilometers from the village of Kornas, the vineyards of the Saint-Pere appellation, famous for its sparkling wines, begin. As you might guess, it is much cooler there, and we share the same alluvial plateau. Accordingly, our wines will be more mineral than, for example, in Saint-Joseph."
The best vineyards of Kornas are located in the northwest of the commune, at an elevation of 350 meters. As in Côte Roti, these areas are terraced, and the vines stoically take rich sunbaths.
Translated from the Celtic dialect, Cornas means "scorched earth" (and Cote-Rotie means "fried slope"), so there is plenty of sun on the west bank of the Rhone, and the vineyards only benefit from the cold north wind that periodically walks through the valley. Granite subsoils are considered the most valuable asset of the Rhone terroirs — they accumulate daytime heat, provide quick drainage, and besides, granite naturally limits yields, encouraging vines to take root deeply in poor soil — survival of the fittest.
Indeed, in the last century, Kornas was on the periphery of the attention of oenophiles, but now, after rising prices for wines from more popular appellations and a simultaneous increase in the quality of their wines, Kornas is one of the most sought after regions of the Rhone.
