Alain Voge "Les Peyrouses" Côtes du Rhône '19

Alain Voge is one of the finest producers in the Northern Rhône, a benchmark producer widely celebrated for making high-quality Syrah from his estate vineyards in Cornas. In 1958, at age 19, he joined his father and the family business, making the then-radical decision to focus on grapes and wine rather than other crops. He expanded the family’s holdings in Cornas through purchases of historic and abandoned vineyard sites. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, he redeveloped these sites, eventually working with vineyards in Saint-Péray and Saint-Joseph as well. Among his holdings are 6.5 hectares of Syrah planted on very decomposed granite slopes, locally called gore, among the finest in the area of the Cornas appellation. The vines have been certified organic since 2016, and the entire domain is cultivated using organic and biodynamic viticulture. 

The aim for “Les Peyrouses” is always freshness. The grapes come from parcels of Syrah in the northern part of the Rhône Valley, harvested from Voge’s youngest vines (less than 10 years old), in addition to grapes from nearby terroirs. The grapes are destemmed, and vinification is similar to that of the Cornas, with maceration for three weeks and daily pigeage. The wine is aged for 15 months in two-to-three-year-old barrels.

The 2019 shows notes of blackberry, red plum, and earth, with a savory, dried herb character. This is a fuller-bodied expression of Syrah, with grippy tannins, yet with enough acidity to keep it| fresh and vibrant on the palate. Pair it with a braised lamb dish or a beef stew, or anything with a generous sprinkling of herbes de Provence.