Alain Voge : Les Vieilles Fontaines 2023

Characteristics and tasting advice for Les Vieilles Fontaines 2023 Alain Voge

Tasting

Color

The wine displays a deep, bright purple-red hue.

Nose

The nose reveals remarkable aromatic complexity, with notes of black and blue fruits, notably blackcurrant, blueberry, and blackberry. More exotic nuances gradually unfold, evoking violet, blood orange zest, and incense. With aeration, peppery, spicy touches emerge, accompanied by subtle mineral notes.

Palate

The palate shows a medium to full-bodied structure, supported by ripe, velvety tannins. It stands out for its purity and layered texture, offering excellent definition and a remarkable mid-palate presence. Overall, it reveals an elegant integration of its structural components, with tannins firm enough to suggest significant aging potential without any aggressiveness. The finish lingers with exceptional aromatic persistence.

Food and wine pairings

This Cornas pairs perfectly with furred game such as roe deer, wild boar, or hare. The estate particularly recommends roe deer with sake lees, a preparation developed in collaboration with Chef Anne-Sophie Pic. This wine also beautifully complements game meats in a mushroom sauce, rich blood-based dishes, as well as autumnal plates highlighting chestnuts and seasonal vegetables.

Serving and cellaring

Les Vieilles Fontaines 2023 requires a short period of cellaring to fully reveal its potential. Decanting is recommended before serving. The ideal serving temperature is between 16 and 18°C.

An exceptional Cornas from old vines on Rhône Valley granite

The estate

The Domaine Alain Voge, established in 1958, now spans thirteen hectares across the Cornas, Saint-Péray, and Saint-Joseph appellations in the northern Rhône Valley. Founded by Alain Voge, who transformed a diversified farm into a benchmark wine estate, it has been run since 2018 by Lionel Fraisse. The vineyard is entirely farmed organically and biodynamically, certified since 2016. The estate notably distinguished itself by receiving a perfect 100/100 score for its 2010 vintage of this very cuvée, the first perfect score ever awarded to a Cornas.

The vineyard

The Les Vieilles Fontaines vineyard covers approximately 0.9 hectare on the site known as La Fontaine in Cornas. The Syrah vines, eighty years old, are planted on a terroir of ancient granite decomposed into coarse sand, providing excellent drainage. The south to south-southeast exposure, at around two hundred meters of altitude, bathes the vines in generous sunshine. The vines are trained in gobelet (bush vines) with wooden stakes, a traditional and labor-intensive method that allows precise microclimate management and individualized monitoring of each vine. A natural spring emerges on this historic plot, which once supplied the residence of a noble family from Cornas.

The vintage

The 2023 vintage in the northern Rhône proved contrasting and demanding. After a first quarter marked by a water deficit, spring was relatively mild, allowing for normal budbreak and flowering. Summer was punctuated by violent storms and localized hail episodes affecting certain high-altitude parcels. In early August, an exceptional heatwave hit the region with record temperatures, causing dehydration of the foliage and a sharp drop in the grapes’ acidity. The old granite parcels nonetheless demonstrated remarkable resilience. Harvest took place between late August and late September with particularly rigorous sorting. Despite the climatic challenges, the wines show a fine balance, with present fruit and ripe tannins.

Vinification and aging

The grapes for Les Vieilles Fontaines 2023 are harvested by hand with rigorous bunch selection. About 70% of the crop is destemmed, while 30% ferments as whole clusters. Fermentation takes place with indigenous yeasts in 30 to 50-hectoliter stainless-steel vats, with daily or twice-daily punch-downs and pump-overs depending on fermentation kinetics. After three weeks of maceration, the wine is transferred to 228-liter Bordeaux barrels for twenty-four months of aging. The barrel stock includes 15% to 20% new oak, with the remainder made up of barrels of varying ages. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel. This exceptional cuvée is produced only in outstanding vintages.

Grape variety

100% Syrah