Appellation
Cornas
Identity card
VillageAOPRed
Rhône Valley › Northern Rhône · Recognised on 5 August 1938
- Village
- Regional
Key points
- One commune, one variety: Syrah alone, red only.
- At most 40 hl/ha and at least 10.5% natural alcohol; hand-harvested.
- Sold to consumers in glass bottles only.
Grape varieties
Red wine onlySyrah
Made from Syrah alone
Production rules
40
hl/ha
Maximum yield
10.5
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
4,400
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
- Maximum yield
- How much wine a hectare may produce under the appellation (a higher, exceptional ceiling often exists). The lower it is, the less can be made: one of the levers on how concentrated the grapes are. For reference: 35 hl/ha to 80 hl/ha across 67 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum natural alcohol
- The alcohol the grapes' own sugar must be able to give, without enrichment: a ripeness threshold at harvest. For reference: 9 % ABV to 12.5 % ABV across 63 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum planting density
- The fewest vines allowed per hectare. For the same yield, more vines means fewer grapes on each. For reference: 4,000 vines/ha to 9,000 vines/ha across 75 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
Terroir
- Lie of the land: A south-facing amphitheatre, sheltered by the Arlettes hills
- Soils: Weathered granite, on terraces with dry-stone walls
- Climate: A milder "Lyonnais" climate: early ripening
Wine style
- near-black colour
- powerful, firmly built
- abundant, silky tannins
- long-lived
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
4 July 2024
Arrêté du 4 juillet 2024 homologuant le cahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Cornas » (JORF n°0162 du 9 juillet 2024, texte n°64 ; BO-AGRI n°30 du 25 juillet 2024).
Labelling terms
- The name of a registered lieu-dit may appear on the label
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Cornas »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO)
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine protégée « Cornas » (BO du MASA du 25 juillet 2024)— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
- Reference bookThe Oxford Companion to Wine— Oxford University Press
- Trade bodyVignobles de la Vallée du Rhône — site officiel d'Inter Rhône— Inter Rhône — Interprofession des vins AOC Côtes du Rhône et Vallée du Rhône
A northern Rhône cru confined to the single commune of Cornas, in the Ardèche, on the Rhône's right bank. Only one grape is authorised, Syrah, and only one wine is made, a dark, full-bodied red, on steep, terraced granite slopes.
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Cornas
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