{"product_id":"domaine-lionnet-terre-brulee-cornas-northern-rhone-france-2022","title":"Domaine Lionnet, \"Terre Brulee\", Cornas, Northern Rhône, France 2022","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhen it comes to pound-for-pound performance, it’s hard to think of many wine estates anywhere in the world that can match what Ludovic Izerable and Corinne Lionnet are doing at Domaine Lionnet. Put simply, their “Terre Brûlée” Cornas remains one of wine’s most under-valued collectibles. This is resolutely traditional, handmade Syrah produced in minuscule quantities from old vines on the steep granite slopes above the village of Cornas. In a world where authenticity gets talked about far more often than it actually appears in the bottle, Lionnet is the real thing. Nothing glossy, nothing manipulated — just raw Northern Rhône Syrah with blood in its veins and granite under its fingernails. The domaine farms just 2.2 hectares of vines, many between 50 and 100 years old, all worked manually on slopes that are closer to mountaineering than agriculture. When you consider the scale, the labor, and the pedigree of Cornas itself, the price begins to look almost absurd.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDrive southwest out of Lyon and the Rhône Valley begins to tighten around you. The river narrows, the hills rise abruptly, and vineyards start appearing on slopes so steep they seem almost unreasonable. First you arrive in Côte-Rôtie, where Syrah terraces climb dramatically above the Rhône. Just beyond lies Condrieu, home to the great Viognier vineyards clinging to the same vertiginous granite hillsides. Keep driving south and the landscape unfolds into one of the most remarkable wine corridors in the world: Saint-Joseph stretching along the right bank of the Rhône, Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage facing it across the river, and finally Cornas, tucked into a steep natural amphitheater just south of Saint-Joseph and not far from Hermitage. Cornas is one of the Northern Rhône’s most singular appellations. The vineyards face southeast, protected from cold winds, rooted in decomposed granite and clay. Unlike most Rhône appellations, Cornas produces only one wine: Syrah. Historically these have been some of the most powerful and long-lived wines in the region — darker, more muscular, sometimes almost feral in youth — yet with time they evolve into something hauntingly complex.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDomaine Lionnet sits squarely within that tradition, but the story here runs far deeper than most estates in Cornas. Corinne Lionnet’s family has been growing grapes in the village since 1575, making them among the longest-rooted wine families in the entire Northern Rhône. Yet the modern energy behind the domaine arrived when Ludovic Izerable — originally from Grenoble in nearby Haute-Savoie — married into the family and joined the estate in the early 2000s. With deep respect for his father-in-law’s methods, Ludovic doubled down on the most traditional practices of the region while pushing farming toward full organic and biodynamic certification. The vineyards feeding Terre Brûlée come from several of Cornas’ classic lieux-dits — Mazards, Chaillot, Pied la Vigne, and Combe — where vines between 50 and 100 years old drive their roots deep into decomposed granite. Farming is done almost entirely by hand, sometimes even by horse on terraces too steep for tractors. In the cellar the philosophy remains equally old-school: 100% whole clusters, spontaneous fermentations, long macerations in concrete tanks, followed by extended aging in neutral 600-liter demi-muids and older barrels. Nothing is forced, nothing polished, nothing added beyond time and patience. Production for the entire estate barely reaches around 1,500 cases, making these wines surprisingly difficult to track down despite their growing reputation among collectors.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn the glass, the 2022 Terre Brûlée shows the unmistakable personality of Cornas. Aromas of blackberry, black plum, crushed violets, smoked meat, cracked pepper, olive tapenade, and iron rise from the glass, layered with hints of wild herbs and granite dust. On the palate it is powerful yet beautifully structured — dark fruit wrapped around a mineral core, framed by firm but refined tannins and the savory spice that whole clusters bring. The finish is long, earthy, and deeply Rhône in character. This is a wine that will benefit from a decant if opened young and should evolve beautifully over the next 15 to 20 years. At the table, it begs for serious food: grilled lamb chops with rosemary, côte de boeuf, venison, duck with olives, braised short ribs, or slow-roasted pork shoulder. Cornas was built for dishes with depth and richness, and Lionnet delivers exactly the kind of bottle that turns a meal into an event.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"North Berkeley","offers":[{"title":"750ml","offer_id":46499254829212,"sku":"CAUB2603-LION22TERREBRUL-750","price":75.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0694\/6937\/2572\/files\/DomaineLionnet_TerreBruleeCornas-2022_WEB.png?v=1773344606","url":"https:\/\/thecaubleist.com\/products\/domaine-lionnet-terre-brulee-cornas-northern-rhone-france-2022","provider":"The Caubleist","version":"1.0","type":"link"}