Eric et Joël Durand Cornas ‘Empreintes’ 2020

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

About

The Durand brothers, Eric et Joël, specialize in Syrah planted over 20 hectares in St-Joseph, St-Peray and Cornas.

“Among the under-the-radar producers in the northern Rhone …. the wines warrant more attention while pricing is quite friendly given the quality delivered.”
Josh Raynolds, Vinous

In the Vineyard

The vines are planted on steep hillsides and all work is carried out by hand, organically, on these granitic soil and rock.

In the Winery

The winery is impeccably clean and modern, the brothers destem nearly all fruit, depending on the vintage. There is daily cap-plunging and pumping-over, the wine spends 12-15 months in 20% new 228 and 600 litre barrels, the balance is in cement. The wines are superbly crafted.

They are fruit-dense, have freshness, vibrancy and brightness and are typically rich and spicy.

The 2020 & 2019 Vintage at Eric et Joël Durand

The Durand brothers had started picking two days ahead of my arrival, starting with their Saint Péray and then harvesting some Cornas and white Saint Joseph on the previous day. It was the payoff for a summer of difficult work in the vineyards, and despite the threat of rain on the coming weekend, I could sense their feeling of relief that at least the vintage was finally underway. While 2021 was undeniably more difficult than the previous years, that didn’t mean 2019 and 2020 were without their own challenges, said Joel. He described 2019 as more tannic and concentrated, while 2020 is “plus facile et souple.” He seemed to prefer the 2020s. “The challenge [in 2019] was to preserve some fruit and freshness with alcohols in the high 14s.” The past couple of years, the brothers have been putting the fruit in cold storage prior to beginning fermentation, as they think it helps preserve aromas and freshness in the finished wines.

Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate

Where in the World is Domaine Durand?

Cornas is at the bottom of the Northern Rhône right next to Valence.