The Perrin family owns around 60 hectares (150 acres) in one single plot in Vinsobres, and Les Cornuds is the most northern vineyard of the Southern Rhône. We really like the terroir here, a beautiful village located 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Châteauneuf-du-Pape at an altitude of 300 meters (984 feet), primarily on terraces. Vinsobres is particularly suitable for Syrah because it preserves the finesse which is often lost in more southern climates. The terroir consists of stony and sandy marl on the slopes, stony quaternary alluviums on the terraces. It develops notes of violet, smoked meat, and blackberries. Grenache is also suited to this terroir, full-bodied and not heavy, with notes of black chocolate, cherry, and typical garrigue aromas.

2017 was a great vintage for Vinsobres. With great elegance, it reveals all the richness of its soil, marked by beautiful Syrah on limestone. It will be remembered as the year of all records: the driest year in 30 years, non-interventionist vineyard work, optimal harvest conditions, a very small yield due to climatic hazards, and wines with very rich potential. This is a very technical vintage with great potential. 2017 began with a particularly dry and mild winter, resulting in a precocious vine. After a sudden drop in temperatures in the early spring with severe frost in several areas, temperatures rose again well above seasonal averages. The flowering was fast, with important and extensive shatter on Grenache. The vineyard, however, remained very healthy. The summer was exceptionally hot and dry, leading to a very early start of harvest in mid-August. Harvest lasted until October 5 with ideal conditions, alternating hot days and cool nights.

The entire harvest is destemmed. Syrah is vinified in wooden truncated tanks that are punched down and pumped over. The Grenache is vinified in stainless steel tanks. The Syrah is partly aged in one-year-old oak barrels. Blending takes place after malolactic fermentation. The cellar work was very technical and precise, and the first tastings reveal great potential, aromatics that point to some of our best vintages. Well balanced and complex in the mouth, it offers bright acidity, freshness, and a hint of pleasant astringency reminiscent of limestone.