2023 Le Vin des Amis
Domaine Clape
Lithe and focused, Le Vin des Amis is just as it sounds: an irresistible charmer to be shared among good friends, characterized by a brilliant floral perfume and wild dark fruit that glides over the palate like velvet.
—Anthony Lynch
| Wine Type: | red |
| Vintage: | 2023 |
| Bottle Size: | 750mL |
| Blend: | Syrah |
| Appellation: | Vin de France |
| Country: | France |
| Region: | Northern Rhône |
| Producer: | Domaine Clape |
| Winemaker: | Olivier Clape |
| Vineyard: | 1 ha, 65 years average |
| Soil: | Round alluvial riverbed stones |
| Aging: | Fermented and aged in cement tanks, then 2 month passage in foudres before bottling |
| Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
| Alcohol: | 11% |
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About The Producer
Domaine Clape
In the world of wine, there are many good winegrowers. However, there are only a very select few who are truly great, and Auguste Clape will go down in history as one of the greats. A proud and uncompromising pioneer of fine winemaking in the Northern Rhône, his Syrahs from the cru of Cornas have earned their place among the most celebrated wines of France. The Clapes have been vignerons for many generations, but the infamous grower strikes of 1906 and 1907 forced Auguste's grandfather out of the Languedoc and into the Northern Rhône to start anew from practically nothing. The Clapes rebuilt their fortunes, terrace by terrace, along the steep, western slopes of the Rhône River. Without pretense or fanfare, Auguste, the former mayor of Cornas, was a stately picture of grace and magnanimity—a no-nonsense wise man who never rested on his laurels and sought to better himself and his wines each year until his passing in 2018 at the age of 93. Today, his son, Pierre-Marie, and grandson, Olivier, carry on his legacy with honor and integrity.
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Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
I want you to realize once and for all: Even the winemaker does not know what aging is going to do to a new vintage; Robert Parker does not know; I do not know. We all make educated (hopefully) guesses about what the future will bring, but guesses they are. And one of the pleasures of a wine cellar is the opportunity it provides for you to witness the evolution of your various selections. Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.
Inspiring Thirst, page 171