Cornas French wine appellation guide: location, history, wines, climate & soil
Cornas is a small northern Rhône appellation producing some of the most powerful, dark and long-lived Syrah in France, often described as the wild cousin of Hermitage.
More info about Cornas
Geographic position
Southeastern France, in the Ardèche department on the right bank of the Rhône, opposite Valence, between Saint-Péray to the south and Saint-Joseph to the north, on steep terraced slopes.
Origin & history
Vines have been grown here since Roman times, and Cornas wine was praised by Charlemagne. The name means "burnt land" in Celtic, a nod to the hot, sun-baked slopes. Cornas became an AOC in 1938.
Wines & grape varieties
Red wine only, made from 100% Syrah, unusually with no white grapes allowed. Expect blackberry, black olive, pepper, smoked meat and violet, with dense tannins that need years to soften.
Climate & soil
Warm, sheltered continental climate with Mediterranean influence; an amphitheatre of slopes protected from the Mistral. Decomposed granite (gore) on steep terraces held by stone walls.