Robert Parker´s THE WINE ADVOCATE: "A blend of young-vine fruit from Reynard and Patou with old-vine fruit from Sabarotte, the 2016 Cornas Renaissance is impressive for its outstanding texture—tender, silky and almost delicate—allied to dark, earthy notes of black olives and blackberries. It's approachable young yet should drink well for a decade.
One of the great historic names in Cornas is getting a new home, with a winery under construction virtually across the street from the existing cellars. As a result, I met owner Pierre-Marie Clape for dinner up the road in Saint-Péray instead of visiting the domaine. While this limited the number of wines we could taste, the restaurant (La Ruche—small but recommended) is a strong supporter of the estate, so we were able to enjoy a bottle of the 2006 off the wine list in addition to the 2016s Pierre-Marie brought from home. We did at least talk about the 2017 and 2018 vintages. In 2017, Clape said the harvest started on September 3, with average sugar levels equivalent to 14.2% or 14.3% alcohol. "The grapes ripened really quickly, because there were so few of them," he said. Harvest in 2018 started on September 5, but sugar levels were approximately a degree lower. As Clape summed up, "The best terroirs can handle anything."