Famille Perrin Vinsobres "Les Cornuds" 2021

Vinsobres is a magnificent village close to Vaison-la-Romaine at an average altitude of 300 metres. Its terroir of terraces is particularly well suited to Syrah and Grenache, which thrive and give of their best here. The name of this wine, Les Cornuds, alludes to the hamlet around which our vines grow, and which is also the name for a grape picker’s carrying hod. This is a wine that is characterized by its immense freshness, thanks to the altitude of the vineyard, and the perfect balance between the Syrah and the Grenache.

2021 is a vintage marked by freshness, which is similar to the vintages we had in the eighties and nineties. It is also what we call a "winegrower vintage", human intervention and the care given to the vines were decisive for the quality of the vintage. Marked by climatic vagaries, with an episode of frost in April and interrupted harvest because of rain, this year has indeed required constant investment from our teams in the vineyard. Their attention and their commitment have borne their fruit: this vintage is very promising with lots of freshness and great balance.

Vinsobres is the northernmost winegrowing area of the Southern Rhône. Our vines span around 60 uninterrupted hectares of terraces and slopes to the north of the appellation, at an average altitude of 300 metres. This sublime landscape is dedicated to polyculture and fields of vines, olives trees and apricots trees are cultivated side by side, in total harmony. A unique place whose altitude and geographical situation create exceptional freshness in the grapes, and indeed, when he first tasted this terroir with his father at La Bicarelle, Jean-Pierre Perrin remembers having been surprised by the freshness of the Syrahs.

Limestone clay with stony, sandy marl on the slopes and stony, Quaternary alluviums on the terraces. It is a terroir that is particularly well adapted to Syrah, which possesses a finesse here that is not to be found in the more southerly parcels, developing aromas of violet, smoked meat, pencil lead and blackberry. The Grenache is also very much at ease here, with a fullness of expression that is devoid of any heaviness, in nuances of dark chocolate, cherry, and its characteristic notes of garrigue.

On this terroir of half Syrah and half Grenache, each variety is hand-picked at perfect maturity, with the Grenache ripening later. On arrival at the cellar, they are sorted, destemmed and vatted separately. The Syrah is partially vinified in concrete vats and partially in barrel. The Grenache is vinified uniquely in concrete vats. The choice of extraction by cap punching or pumping over is decided by daily tastings. We made the somewhat unusual decision to blend after malolactic fermentation as our objective is, above all, to highlight the freshness and the finesse that are the identity of this terroir.