2022 Thierry Allemand "R" Reynard Cornas

100 James Suckling. Review Date: 04/2025. It's hard to wrap your head around how a red wine can have this enormous concentration and giant structure, yet be so refined and silky. Aromas of Damson plums, black raspberries and Amarena cherries exactly fill out the mouth-filling yet incredibly precise palate. Then comes the breathtaking finish that is as graceful as a great dancer who leaps effortlessly from one side of the stage to the other. From old vines in the Reynard site. 100% whole-cluster fermentation that starts as carbonic maceration, then a handful of punchdowns. Matured in large oak foudre casks. (SP)

96-98 Jeb Dunnuck. Review Date: 05/2025. Coming largely from the granite, south-facing soils of the Reynard lieu-dit and aged in used barrels, the 2022 Cornas Reynard reveals a beautiful array of red, blue, and black fruits, violets, spice, pepper, and orange zest. The class and purity here are something else, and it's medium to full-bodied, focused, and beautifully balanced, with fine tannins and remarkable elegance. This is a sensational Cornas in the making.

96 Wine Advocate. Review Date: 03/2025. The 2022 Cornas Reynard is one of the wines of the vintage in Cornas. Revealing a deeper, more complex bouquet than Les Chaillots, with aromas of dark wild berries, spices, violet, flowers and mulberries, it's medium to full-bodied, enrobing and elegant, layered and concentrated with a fleshy core of fruit, a tense, energetic mid-palate and more refined tannins that segue into a long, ethereal and violet-inflected finish. Pure and crystalline, this is a young classic in the making. (YC)

JLL Drink Rhone. Review Date: 02/2023. Dark robe; has a very well measured aroma led by black fruit in coulis form, an inviting fruitiness, with hints of violet and cold tea, carries a discreet, well placed mineral angle, smoke also. The palate is broad, attractively filled, presents a real inviting level of dark red fruited content with good fit tannins that are ripe, flexible. There’s a rather pitter patter moment before the close – good. There are some sun rays in it. I would leave it for six years, for example. Its terroir will come through more over time, note. *5 Stars*

Thierry Allemand is widely regarded as one of the defining figures of today's Cornas, known for elevating the appellation through a rigorously hands-off, site-focused approach. Working almost exclusively with old-vine Syrah from steep granite slopes, Allemand farms meticulously by hand, prioritizing low yields, vine health, and full phenolic maturity without chasing excess ripeness. In the cellar, his methods are deliberately minimal: native yeast fermentations, gentle extractions, little to no new oak, and extended élevage to allow the wines to settle naturally. The result is Cornas that emphasizes structure, mineral tension, and savory depth over power or polish, with wines that demand patience but reward it with clarity, longevity, and a transparent expression of place.