Domaine Lionnet

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Country of Origin: France
Location: Cornas
People: Corinne Lionnet & Ludovic Izerable, Owners & Winemakers
Viticulture: Certified Biodynamic

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A young generation with deep family roots has taken the helm of Domaine Lionnet and, if the critics are to be believed, vaulted the domaine into Cornas' top tier. Their approach is defiantly traditional. Syrah, painstakingly harvested from old vines on rugged, sun-scorched hillsides, yields wines that are brambly with wild herbs, iron-rich and feral, mineral from granite-piercing roots, and dense with fruit ripened in Cornas' blistering crucible. For seekers of authenticity, Lionnet offers something increasingly rare: real Cornas. These are wines that remind us why Cornas earned its reputation.

Ancient Roots in Cornas
The Lionnet family has cultivated vines in Cornas since 1575, making them one of the region's oldest winegrowing families and contemporaries of the legendary Chave dynasty of Hermitage. Although the estate itself began bottling wine only in the 1950s, generations of vineyard work have given the family an intimate understanding of Cornas' steep granite slopes and distinctive terroirs.

A new chapter and a renewed sense of energy began in 2003 when Ludovic Izerable joined the family through his marriage to Corinne Lionnet. He brought not just talent but conviction. He immediately converted the estate to organic farming (now certified both biodynamic and organic) and embraced methods so traditional they seem radical: horse-plowing terraces too steep for tractors, 100% whole-cluster fermentation, spontaneous ferments, and zero additives.

A Patchwork of Historic Sites
The estate's flagship Cornas, Terre Brûlée, is blended from a collection of parcels spread across some of the appellation's most renowned lieux-dits: the black-fruited power of Mazards, Chaillot's granitic depth, Pied la Vigne's firm structure, and Combe's perfumed elegance. Many of the vines are between 50 and 100 years old, rooted deep in decomposed granite soils that contribute the mineral backbone for which Cornas is known.

Each parcel is farmed, harvested, and vinified separately. Harvesting is done entirely by hand, with rigorous selection in the vineyard to ensure that only the healthiest fruit is brought to the cellar.

Traditional Winemaking
The approach in the cellar is equally uncompromising. The grapes are fermented with 100% whole clusters and indigenous yeasts, without additives or manipulation. Long, three-week macerations in concrete tanks are followed by extended aging in large, old, neutral oak barrels, preserving the character of the fruit and vineyard rather than imparting oak influence. Nothing is forced, and nothing is added. The result is Cornas Syrah of startling purity.