Côtes du Rhône Syrah, Domaine Auguste Clape 2019

Easily the equal of some producers' Cornas, Clape's 2019 Cotes du Rhone—which comes from vines on just the wrong side of the road to be called Cornas—boasts attractive scents of menthol and cassis. It's medium to full-bodied and quite concentrated and tannic this vintage, yet finishes silky and long. Give it another year in the cellar and drink it through the end of this decade.

From two parcels of 100% Syrah - one in St Peray and the other in the foothills below Cornas, this follows the traditional winemaking chez Clape with whole bunch fermentation in cement tanks and a (shorter) ageing in large foudres. Less than 5000 bottles per year.