WTN: `01 Cornas Sarah-Perraud (Lesec selection).

[Bob Parsons Alberta]

Mike B might want to chip in here as he cleared the shelf at DeVines after"My dinner with Normand". Notes to follow.

WTN: `01 Perraud Cornas Sarah.

100% Syrah, nose is singing after 1 hr decanted. Violets, smoke, dried herbs. No stems here, full, round, lavish fruit, blackberry fruit. "Some spice and white pepper", they called out as I was official note-taker!
"The alcohol is nicely in balance" thought Mishy as I grabbed some Veal Liver off Ed Fong`s plate. I was eating bison tenderloin, nice and tender too.

Cost is around $44 Cdn.

PS anyone have notes on the Le Vignon, same price?

[Bill Buitenhuys]

I've only had the 1999 of the Sarah, Bob, and found it to be ok, but not too interesting. And at $35, it just wasnt worth it. Cant help you with the Le Vignon

[Mike B.]

A beautiful wine, Bob. The palate started evolving over time, with mocha flavours developing.

I also found pleasant blueberry aromas. I spent a good part of the night with my nose in the glass of that one.

[Bill Hooper]

Sounds great Paul. Good Cornas is hard to come by down here (UP here for most everyone else ). Sometimes a Clape will find its way home with me. I'll be on the lookout.


Prost!
Bill

[Paul Winalski]

I've only had the 1999 of the Sarah, Bob, and found it to be ok, but not too interesting. And at $35, it just wasnt worth it. Cant help you with the Le Vignon

I used to adore Clape Cornas. Then, unfortunately for me, the rest of the world found out about it, and prices have gone through the roof. Ditto for all other Cornas I've been able to find int the New England market. Alas, it's well beyond what I'm willing to pay these days. Given the miniscule and limited quantities available, the price is unlikely to come down. Oh woe is me.

I still love great Cornas, if someone else is paying.

-Paul W.

[James Roscoe]

Paul, what do you pay for Cornas? What was the price when you used to buy more of it? I know a lot of Rhones have really shot up in price over the last five years. I'm wondering how much the Cornas has gone up. Is it like Hermitage or more like a Southern Rhone in price?

[Paul Winalski]

Paul, what do you pay for Cornas? What was the price when you used to buy more of it? I know a lot of Rhones have really shot up in price over the last five years. I'm wondering how much the Cornas has gone up. Is it like Hermitage or more like a Southern Rhone in price?

Sorry to say, it's as bad as Hermitage. Or worse. Clape Cornas used to be in the $15-$20 range. Then it went to the $20-$25 range. Then the US dollar collapsed, and other things happened, and suddenly its $60 per bottle. Now, granted--Hermitage in the same period went from $25 to $125+.

I still adore the wines--but only if someone else is paying. I'm sorry, but I won't buy wine that's over 5 times the price of the meal it's meant to accompany. And Cornas always was, and always will be, second-tier in the Northern Rhone to Hermitage and Cote-Rotie. Yes--those two are even worse, in terms of price inflation, but that doesn't mean I'm prepared to pay nosebleed prices for a second-tier wine.

Even the third-tier Crozes-Hermitage is overpriced these days, IMO.

This is most of the reason that I've been drinking through my current cellar accumulation these days--I find it increasingly hard to find wines I want to put in my cellar that are being sold at what I consider non-offensively high prices.

Sigh. I suppose this is part of growing old.

-Paul W.

[James Roscoe]

Ouch! That's what I was afraid of.

[Jenise]

One can get lucky at auction occaisonally, Paul. I just unpacked some 95 Chapoutier Cornas and 95 Guigal Hermitage that I paid in the mid 30's for. Like you, I do balk at typical street prices, though I did bite on some 01 Jamet Cote Roties recently. If I'm ever to have that wine, it's what I have to do. But then I only buy one or two.