No longer the new kid on the block, but now acknowledged as one of the great producers of the contemporary Rhone, Vincent Paris is a child of the area who inherited some of his best vines from his grandfather, and bought more from his uncle, the great Robert Michel. His vineyards take in the austere granite slopes of Cornas where the light is plentiful and the Mistral intense, and his direct neighbours are Thierry Allemand and Auguste Clape. The soils are poor here, and the rocky motherlode is often exposed; vines struggle, but the quality of fruit they give is intense. But it’s not just about the fruit; Vincent’s success is also down to sheer hard graft in the vineyard, coupled with a more relaxed attitude in the cellar.

His shy and modest exterior might leave you overlooking the details of his winemaking which contribute so much to his success. Low temperature fermentation leaves more aromatics in the wines, while not racking during barrel maturation means less sulphur has to be used, though wines need decanting when young. His very finest wines come from the Geynale lieu-dit. He turns his older vines into veritable liquid granite, capturing the very soul of Cornas. His younger vines are turned into early drinking, friendly expressions of cool grown Syrah.(NT 18/01/18)