Clape Cornas:
1997-2011 750s & Mags
There's not much to say about Auguste and Pierre-Marie Clape that hasn't already been said 1,000 times.
Auguste worked his first harvest in Cornas in 1949 and the Clape family has been a pillar of the community, of the appellation, of the culture of Cornas, ever since.
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We've been huge fans of Clape since we opened and are always on the hunt for parcels. It's never been easy, but in recent years finding Clape in any quantity has become very, very difficult.
All of this helps to explain my excitement about this offer, which includes rare mags of 2009 and 2011 and 750s of 2001 along with other gems.
Given that we're heading into the Thanksgiving holiday, I'm going to keep this short.
For me, Clape is Cornas - nothing more, nothing less. Don't get me wrong, such typicity is a real accomplishment. The inescapable comparison is with Allemand. If Allemand's wines are incredibly precise, bright and nimble, Clape's are bone-crushing, deep, meaty and savory. They're what you read in books that Cornas should taste like, only taken to a whole other, elevated level.
Clape Cornas transforms in the cellar, tamed by age to reveal a refined core of herbal elegance. I can't tell you how many times we've opened bottles of Clape from the 80s and early 90s and were just blown away. At Crush, it's almost impossible to have a conversation about the Northern Rhône without '88 Clape coming up.
There's an impressive range of vintages on offer. There are riper and more powerful ones, like 2009 and 1997, and more classic ones like 2001 and 2006. And then, there's 2011, which at this point feels like it falls right in the middle - fairly vivid and clear and still generous. Such a description probably does the '11 an injustice. Maybe it's easiest to mention that Robert Parker declared that "the 2011s and 2010s rival anything produced at this family-owned, tiny boutique producer."
Needless to say, we're dealing with very limited quantities. Please give us you're ideal order and we'll try our best.
To order, reply to offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits
Clape Cornas 1997-2011