For the uninitiated, Domaine Lionnet’s rarely encountered “Terre Neuve” is a profound Northern Rhône thoroughbred that’s only bottled in infinitesimal quantities. Last year was the first time we’ve had the ability to offer it, and that’s only because we bought 99% of the allocation before anyone else could ask. We weren’t as lucky or quick with their 2019 release: The 50 cases allotted for America have already started vanishing within New York and California’s hyper-competitive restaurant/retail circuit, so we made a mad dash for the remaining bottles.
Steeped in five centuries of Cornas grape-growing, Lionnet’s Certified Organic and deeply authentic Syrahs have stolen the show in a roomful of Northern Rhône heavyweights time and time again. And yet I still always find myself shocked by how they consistently over and outperform their peers and price point. Their micro-production Saint-Joseph might be the greatest example: “Terre Neuve'' comes from vines just outside the Cornas boundary, about five miles south of Hermitage, and it’s a rip-roaring expression of classic, muscle-bound, highly perfumed Syrah. Everything is so painstakingly manual and old-school: vines are hand farmed; grapes handpicked and foot-trodden; wines are vinified naturally, neutral-barrel aged, and bottled unfined/unfiltered. We live for traditional, blue-chip Northern Rhône Syrah, and today’s painfully limited cuvée is the kind of wine we always seek out but can rarely acquire. Up to six bottles per person.
We all know the expression “bigger is better,” but as I’ve written before, the opposite is often the case in the world of wine. Smaller vineyards, smaller cellars, and a focused and humble approach to one’s work reliably deliver the most soulful and impressive results. Domaine Lionnet is tiny: this is a one-man show that produces a few hundred cases of wine from a mere three hectares of vines, and not too much has changed since the family began farming this hillside in 1575. Vines are grown 100% organically, and all labor—including the grueling work of maintaining steep stone terraces—is done by hand. Simply put, the wines produced here are designed to be treasured for many years. In the cellar, Lionnet bottles Cornas with a philosophy that pays duly flattering homage to the old guards, i.e. painstakingly handmade wines.
Today’s rarely seen “Terre Neuve” bottling originates from two parcels—one young and the other nearing 70 years of age—that combine to fall just shy of a single hectare. While it has become fashionable for properties to separate their Northern Rhîone bottlings into an individual single-vineyard “luxury” cuvée, the traditional method of the Lionnet family is to combine parcels into one wine that communicates the totality of this timeless terroir. This antique approach extends to the cellar: All wine travels from press to barrel via gravity flow; no additives or filtration is used; and the wine is left to age in old French barriques and demi-muids for 18 months.
Today’s 2019 “Terre Neuve” is a powerful Syrah that bellows out a full-throated roar in the glass and explodes with lush-, savory-, and mineral-tinged shrapnel. Lionnet is renowned for producing structured, evocative reds with seemingly infinite aging potential, so if you absolutely must drink a bottle within the next two years, a minimum one-hour decant is required—just like it would be if opening any $100+ current-release Cornas. This ’19 is serious, major-league stuff that needs ample time warming up in the bullpen before unleashing its potential. Only then will you be able to experience gorgeously lifted, rogue-level waves of black raspberry liqueur, smoked meat, black cherry, purple berries, crushed black rock, tobacco, struck flint, wild herbs, cracked peppercorn, candied violets, and licorice. This Syrah is a tour de force. The palate is hedonistic and full-bodied, with a tremendously concentrated core of crushed minerals, spice, and plush blue-black fruit. The sheer level of muscle and savor in each sip sends shockwaves throughout your senses, something that reverberates with increasing frequency as more oxygen is introduced. Make your bottles last as long as you can. This rarity is next-level good!
