Cornas & St-Péray 2020: report and top-scoring wines
Matt Walls says 2020 sees both Cornas & St-Péray wines returning to a more focused, classic style. Cornas wines straddle two fairly different styles, while St-Péray wines are bright and delicious.
The wines of Cornas fall broadly into two camps this year; soft and juicy wines for early drinking and some tighter, structured, appetising wines with good longevity. My suggestions are broadly taken from the latter camp.
Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for the top-scoring Cornas & St-Péray 2020 wines
Many 2018s and 2019s in Cornas are overripe and soft; 2020 is a welcome return to a more clear-headed, focused style.
Pierre Clape says ‘it was hot and dry but we always had cool nights, especially in July, of 18 or 19 ̊ C, and grapes can ripen very quickly with hot nights’.
See the Rhône 2020 full vintage report and top scoring wines
See all 400 Rhône 2020 tasting notes and scores
In St-Péray, 2020 also marks a return to a more classic style.
In 2019, and particularly 2018, I struggled to find wines to recommend, but 2020 is a much better vintage, full of light, bright, transparent examples.
Years like this remind you that this can be the source of some of the most delicious white wines of the Ardèche. Most will show their best within the first few years of bottling.
Quick links
Northern Rhône 2020 full report and top scoring wines
Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu | St-Joseph | Hermitage | Crozes-Hermitage
Cornas & St-Péray 2020 key producers
Cave Julien Cécillon
Domaine A&E Verset
Domaine Clape
Domaine Vincent Paris
Ferraton Père & Fils
M Chapoutier
Cornas & St-Péray 2020 top value wines
Cave de Tain, Fleur de Roc, St-Péray 2020
Cave Julien Cécillon, Gemini, St-Péray 2020
Domaine Laurent Fayolle, Montis, St-Péray 2020
Domaine Mucyn, Hypsos, Cornas 2020
Domaine Vincent Paris, Granit 30, Cornas 2020
Dumien-Serrette, Patou, Cornas 2020
See the Northern Rhône 2020 score table listing Matt’s top 98 wines scoring 94 points or above
See Matt’s top Cornas & St-Péray 2020 tasting notes and scores:
Related content:
Rhône 2020 full report and top scoring wines
Northern Rhône 2020 full report and top scoring wines
Southern Rhône 2020 full report and top scoring wines
Domaine Bernard Gripa, Les Figuiers, St-Péray, Rhône, France, 2020
Almond nougat on the nose, medium-bodied, with a soft, pillowy, rounded texture. Really defined and precise, but still quintessentially Saint-Péray - like the Saint-Pérays of...
2020
Domaine Bernard GripaSt-Péray
Domaine Clape, St-Péray, Rhône, France, 2020
Starts soft and gentle, then the sparkling, bright acidity spreads over the palate. Great purity, balance and roundness; very satisfying. A mix of 60-year-old and...
2020
Domaine ClapeSt-Péray
M Chapoutier, Haut Chamblard, St-Péray, Rhône, France, 2020
Good sense of lifted freshness on the nose. There's a good balance between fruit and oak on this sample. It isn't as concentrated and ripe...
2020
M ChapoutierSt-Péray
Domaine Vincent Paris, La Geynale, Cornas, Rhône, France, 2020
A wine that fizzes and sparks with crackling berry fruits and dried herbs. Full-bodied but not massive in the mouth, this has soaring power and...
2020
Domaine Vincent ParisCornas
Domaine Clape, Cornas, Rhône, France, 2020
A vibrant, focused and intense style of Cornas, a return to a classic style after the richness of 2018 and the power of 2019. Their...
2020
Domaine ClapeCornas
Domaine A&E Verset, Signature, Cornas, Rhône, France, 2020
A touch of cold ash to the herbal berry fruits. A very fine, elegant style of Cornas, with remarkably smooth, buffed tannins. Lovely concentration of...
2020
Domaine A&E VersetCornas
Domaine Vincent Paris, Granit 60, Cornas, Rhône, France, 2020
There are herbal depths here, but they're currently filled by the intense, powerful berry fruits. Medium- to full-bodied, this has good concentration and intensity of...
2020
Domaine Vincent ParisCornas
Domaine A&E Verset, Cornas, Rhône, France, 2020
Fresh, stemmy oregano and marked blackcurrant notes. A fine and elegant style of Cornas with quite driving acidity. Bright, saline and granitic finish. Very accessible,...
2020
Domaine A&E VersetCornas
Ferraton Père & Fils, Patou, Cornas, Rhône, France, 2020
Rounded, mouth-filling fruit, the tannins are melting and not overly assertive. Bold in structure, textural and intense, with strong acidity which helps to rein in...
2020
Ferraton Père & FilsCornas
Cave Julien Cécillon, Saint Pierre, Cornas, Rhône, France, 2020
Charred meat and burnt herbs, this reminds me of a summer barbeque. There's rosemary and lavender on an appealing, complex nose that draws you in....
2020
Cave Julien CécillonCornas
Domaine Mucyn, Hypsos, Cornas, Rhône, France, 2020
Fresh, herbal nose that shows vitality and pep. Fairly light-bodied, but there's real energy and vitality on the palate, which is fresh and sinewy. Expressive...
2020
Domaine MucynCornas
Domaine Vincent Paris, Granit 30, Cornas, Rhône, France, 2020
Very herbal, with leafy herbs like tarragon alongside woody herbs such as rosemary. Blueberry and liquorice too. Middleweight style, good concentration of fresh, juicy berry...
2020
Domaine Vincent ParisCornas
Dumien-Serrette, Patou, Cornas, Rhône, France, 2020
Lifted, spicy, quite intense aromas that suggest a wine that will be ready to drink young, showing black fruits, little balsamic notes and a resinous...
2020
Dumien-SerretteCornas
Ferraton Père & Fils, Les Eygats, Cornas, Rhône, France, 2020
This has good acidity and grip, with lively, serrated, saline fruit plus chocolate-covered black cherries. Textural and searching, not hugely concentrated, more of a structural...
2020
Ferraton Père & FilsCornas
François Villard, Jouvet, Cornas, Rhône, France, 2020
An appealing nose of blueberry and candied blackberry. Full-bodied, generous in fruit, soft and juicy on the palate. Tannins are ripe but very present and...
2020
François VillardCornas
Paul Jaboulet Aîné, Les Reynards, Cornas, Rhône, France, 2020
A new Cornas cuvée for 2020. The oak is immediately apparent, with its seductively sweet spices. Smooth, voluptuous and medium- to full-bodied. It's extremely polished...
2020
Paul Jaboulet AînéCornas
