2020 Vincent Paris: granitic Syrah

13 Jan 2022

Monumental Cornas, elegant Saint-Joseph

From some fabulous old vine parcels he inherited from his grandfather, Vincent Paris fashions wines that capture the full gamut of Syrah: from floral to savoury to herbal. Vincent's vineyards lie across the complex, pitted slope that towers over the village. It makes wines of muscle, grit, power and also, in the hands of a producer as skilled as Vincent, velvety elegance.

Vincent's 2020 wines are as lithe and finely-textured as they are muscular. 2020 saw a hot, dry year with a very early harvest; it ranks highly among the recent run of excellent Rhone vintages. While it was hot, as in 2018 and 2019, the heavy rainfall over winter 2019/2020 meant the vines had good water reserves and were not heat stressed. As a result, Vincent's 2020 wines have a vivid vein of freshness.

Lean, upright, tense, Granit 30 mingles aromas of black and blue fruit with juniper, woodsmoke and olive. Granit 60 comes from older vines on a steeper section of the slope. Dense and fleshy, it has menthol aromas and meaty notes of bacon fat meeting the fruit and flower aromas. It demands some cellar time. It's not only Cornas; Vincent also has some Saint-Joseph, fine-boned, precise and very good value, from high-altitude vines up the road in Ardoix. /NT

Offered subject to remaining unsold; 2020s for shipment Winter 2022, otherwise available immediately

Vintage Description Cs Sz Bt Sz Cs Bts Cs ib Cs inc Bt inc
2020 drink or keep Vincent Paris Cornas Granit 30
default
6x 75cl 3 3 £126.00 £170.44 £31.95 Buy
2019 drink or keep Vincent Paris Cornas Granit 60
default
6x 75cl 0 1 - £235.24 £43.95 Buy