This “Terre Brulée” bottling is the Lionnet family’s only wine bottled this vintage and it originates from a small handful of Granite-dominated hillside vineyards: Chaillot, Combes, Brugeres, and Mazards. The 60-100 year old vines on these parcels are known for producing amazingly dense and aromatic Syrah with definitive Cornas soil character. While it has become fashionable for properties to separate their Cornas into individual single vineyard “luxury” cuvées, the traditional method—and that of the Lionnet family—is to combine multiple parcels into one wine that communicates the totality of Cornas’ timeless and unique terroir. This traditional approach extends to the cellar where all wine travels from press to barrel via gravity flow, no filtering or additives are used, and the wine is left to age for years in neutral old French Oak barrels before bottling. And as with all great traditional Cornas, after release the wine still benefits considerably from further time reposing in bottle before drinking.

  

The 2006 Domaine Lionnet Cornas “Terre Brulée” has a dark and just slightly translucent garnet center which evolves to crimson and orange at the rim. Aromas are mature with notes of blackberry, black olive, dark roasted coffee, leather, wild thyme, lavender, violets, and tobacco. Having shed its youthful tannins and “baby fat” the wine is crunchy, medium bodied and focused with a gorgeously weightless profile that floats on the palate. I encourage you to decant this for 90-120 minutes before serving in a large Bordeaux stem at just over cellar temp. While it might be more conventional to serve Cornas with hulking, caramelized cut of lamb or pork, this particular bottle is mature and more delicate so take care not to overwhelm it. I personally found the wine to be an ideal companion to this roasted veal leg recipe.