Wines produced
DOMAINE A. CLAPE COTES DU RHONE
DOMAINE A. CLAPE SAINT PERAY
DOMAINE A. CLAPE CORNAS
DOMAINE A. CLAPE CORNAS RENAISSANCE
Winery presentation
Owner / winemaker
Olivier Clape
Region
Rhone Valley
Appellation
Cornas
Presentation
Few names in the Northern Rhône carry the weight of Clape. For generations, the family has tended the steep granite terraces of Cornas by hand, producing Syrah that captures the rugged elegance of its terroir. Auguste Clape was a pioneer, the first in Cornas to bottle his own wine, dedicating his life to perfecting his craft until his passing in 2018. He was joined for many years by his son Pierre Marie, who worked alongside him before passing in 2025, and today the estate is managed by Olivier, who continues the family tradition. Covering eight hectares of prime parcels—including Reynards, La Côte, and Sabarotte—the vineyards are worked with patience and intuition, allowing grapes to reach full ripeness before harvest. Each parcel is vinified separately and aged in old foudres, producing wines of remarkable depth, balance, and longevity. Clape’s Cornas are unmistakable: pure, powerful, and true to their granite slopes—a benchmark for Northern Rhône Syrah and a testament to a family devoted to excellence.
Wines produced
A. CLAPE VIN DE FRANCE, VIN DES AMIS
DOMAINE A. CLAPE COTES DU RHONE
DOMAINE A. CLAPE SAINT PERAY
DOMAINE A. CLAPE CORNAS
DOMAINE A. CLAPE CORNAS RENAISSANCE
Grape varieties planted
Syrah
Marsanne
Size of Vineyard
8,8 hectares
Average age of the vines
On average the vines are 55 years old. There are also vines in the Cornas vineyard 80 years old.
The Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge and ‘Les Amis’ vines are 25 to 30 years old.
Location
The inconspicuous cellars are on the main N86 road that runs through the village of Cornas, hidden away behind a grey garage door.
Their Cornas vineyards are planted on various of the best hillside sites in the appellation – Coteau de Tezier, Les Renards, La Cotes, Les Mazards, Chaillot and Sabarotte. The Cotes du Rhone and Vin de Table come from vineyards planted at the foot of the hills.
Soils
The Cornas vines are situated on classic crumbly granite based soils with a favourable clay content. The Cotes du Rhone and Vin de Table come from stony alluvial valley floor soils.
Viticulture & Winemaking
The vineyards are managed sustainably with vines are only treated with copper and sulphur.
True traditionalist when it comes to wine making, taking the utmost care and attention at every stage of the process. Following manual harvesting, the grapes for the Cornas are placed immediately in cement vats for fermentation, without de-stemming. The fermentations take place at between 30 and 34°C, with a maceration period of 12 to 13 days, depending upon the vintage. During the fermentation use of techniques such as “pigeage”, breaking the cap of “marc”, as well as using the more conventional pump-over technique twice a day. The combination of these two techniques, ancient and modern, ensures a maximum extraction of colour, tannins and aromas. The different parcels of vines are vinified and aged separately to be selected and blended at a later date if thought to be compatible. All the wine is aged in large old oak “foudres”, for a period of 22 to 24 months. Olivier has remained impervious to the fashion of using new wood, disliking the effect of the stereo-typed oak flavours on the Syrah. He prefers to keep the pure, traditional style, respecting the true qualities of the grape variety and the greatest expression of “terroir”. Olivier tastes and selects the wines for the final blend one month before bottling. Having passed two winters in cask, most of the wine’s natural deposits have fallen and therefore filtration is unnecessary. The wines are lightly fined with egg white before bottling at the property in the spring or summer.
White wine :
Following manual harvesting, the grapes are taken to the cellars for direct pressing. The musts are left to clarify naturally for 18 to 24 hours. Fermentation takes place in a small lined concrete vat at a controlled temperature of 20 – 22°C, lasting for about 2 weeks. Depending upon the vintage, the malo-lactic fermentation is allowed to take place. Ageing takes place in vat, with a small proportion in oak, for about 10 months. Bottling takes place at the property following fining and filtration.
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