Château Cornut
Costières de Nîmes, France
After a couple of days based around Châteauneuf-du-Pape, I set out for Costières de Nîmes and a visit with the Cornut brothers. Awm customers may remember this property from a few years back as Château Guiot.
Costières de Nîmes is the most southerly appellation of the Rhone wine region in southeastern France. The wines of the area are said to have been consumed by the Ancient Greeks and are considered to be among the oldest known wines in the world. A typical Costières de Nîmes red, made from the classic southern Rhone blend of grenache and syrah, is spicy, robust and perfectly suited to the rustic local cuisine of the area.
Château Cornut is located on the rolling slopes of southern Costières de Nîmes, near
the village of Saint Gilles and the famous Camargue section (very famous for the harvest of sea salt) of the Mediterranean.
Their vineyards are planted primarily to Grenache, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Most of the 200 plus acres in production are characterized by ancient riverbed soils, similar to what is found in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The château or “mas” is owned by Silvia and François Cornut, who bought the property after finishing their studies in
oenology and agriculture in 1976. In 2008 their twin sons Numa and Alexis(pictured below) joined the château. Today, this 9th generation of vignerons manage the operations with diligent oversight from their parents. The family’s efforts have clearly paid off, as the wines made here have become reference points for the appellation over the last 20 years. We’re featuring the Cornut brother’s ‘Tradition’ red today at our tasting today and their terrific rosé of grenach and syrah is on the way.
-Larry
