Domaine Vincent Paris
Overview
Vincent Paris is a Cornas producer and nephew of Robert Michel, a longstanding pillar of Cornas who retired in 2006. Vincent’s wines are cleaner and more modern than his uncle’s. He owns vines on La Geynale (a subset of the acclaimed Reynards site), founded on 1910 Syrah from a wonderful south-facing slope in the heart of Cornas. He also produces Saint-Joseph and has a small merchant range (Vincent Paris Selection).
Appellations
Key Wines
- Cornas Granit 30 — average yield 35 hl/ha; the fruit-forward wine; w.o.w. Cornas in 2023, 2020, and 2018
- Cornas Granit 60 — average yield 28 hl/ha; more structured, best left 4-5 years
- Cornas La Geynale — average yield 23 hl/ha from very old vines (1910 Syrah); the top wine from a wonderful south-facing slope in the heart of Cornas
- Saint-Joseph Les Cotes red — improving as high-altitude vines at Ardoix grow up; 2018 was a four-star performer
Style Notes
Cleaner and more modern than his uncle Robert Michel’s wines. Considerable inclusion of stems in the vinification. Very low levels of sulphur were initially used, but wines have been more stable since 2009; raising has been extended to allow two winters. The three Cornas wines represent a graduated hierarchy of concentration and seriousness.
Note: JLL declares a personal interest — he owns a few vines on La Geynale, the vineyard planted by Vincent’s great-grandfather Paul Michel.
Producer Profile (JLL / drinkRhone.com)
Vincent is the nephew of Robert Michel, a longstanding pillar of Cornas, who retired in 2006 and sold his vineyards in part to Vincent and in part to a small Anglo-French-Scandinavian group of wine lovers. There is considerable inclusion of stems in the vinification.
Early issues with low SO2 (the 2007 La Geynale started to drop after four years; the 2008 had high volatile acidity) have been resolved since 2009. Raising has been extended to allow two winters.
The Saint-Joseph is improving as its high-altitude vines at Ardoix grow up (now 20+ years old). There is now a small merchant range, Vincent Paris Selection, including a Crozes-Hermitage red and a Cornas vinified by semi-maceration carbonique (bought from Jean-Louis Thiers on Combe by Australian Mark Haisma).
Location: Chemin des Peyrouses, 07130 Cornas. Export: 1) GB, 2) USA, 3) Belgium. 50% exported.
My Tastings
Key Wines & Vintage Notes (JLL / drinkRhone.com)
Cornas La Geynale
From 1910 Syrah on a wonderful south-facing slope; the top wine. Avg yield 23 hl/ha.
| Vintage | Rating | Drinking Window | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | — | 2045-47 | Brooding, black olives, smoky blue fruit; depth without excess |
| 2023 | — | 2044-46 | Full, calm, genuine depth; cooked black cherries |
| 2022 | ★★★★★ / ★★★★(★) | 2044-49 | Emphatic, swarthy depth of cooked black fruits; “a cracker” |
| 2021 | ★★★★ | 2040-45 | Pure raspberry-red berry, dainty; crystalline fruit |
| 2020 | — | 2047-49 | Promising; well embedded black fruits, floral, musky scents |
| 2019 | ★★★★★ | 2046-51 | Firm, deep, dark; “in a different league from Granit 60” |
| 2018 | ★★★★(★) | 2040-44 | Blackberry-elderberry, roses; reduction-on-opening, then opens beautifully |
Cornas Granit 60
Avg yield 28 hl/ha. More structured than Granit 30; best left 4-5 years.
| Vintage | Rating | Drinking Window | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | — | 2041-43 | Purposeful, tempting black cherry, stylish depth |
| 2023 | — | 2042-44 | Grunt factor, firm depth, mystery, oxtail; means business |
| 2022 | ★★★★(★) | 2044-47 | Overtly reduced; but fleshy, ripe dark fruit, deep |
| 2021 | ★★★(★) | 2040-43 | Assured depth, black fruit jam, smoke, blue fruit |
| 2019 | ★★★★(★) | 2044-46 | Red and black berries, scope and pleasure |
Cornas Granit 30
Avg yield 35 hl/ha. The fruit-forward wine; w.o.w. Cornas in some vintages.
| Vintage | Rating | Drinking Window | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | ★★★★ | 2040-43 | Southern notes, black olives, blackberry jam; bouncy and forward |
| 2021 | — | 2035-37 | Well together, cassis, black cherry; charming |
| 2020 | — | 2035-37 | Floral, red fruit tones, gentle simplicity |
| 2018 | — | 2033-35 | Oxtail, blue fruit, cool; jolly black berry fruit |
Saint-Joseph Les Cotes Rouge
Improving as high-altitude vines at Ardoix grow up.
| Vintage | Rating | Drinking Window | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | — | 2033-35 | Cherry, sandiness, floral air; red fruit detail |
| 2018 | — | 2030-32 | Style and purity in black fruit; pedigree oak |
Vintage Assessments (JLL Vintage Reports)
2024 Cornas: Nicolas Serrette (Dumien-Serrette, neighbor producer) reports spring rains, mixed June weather, then a beau/dry August with a heat spike at 38 degrees C offset by the North Wind. Harvest started September 10 (five days later than 2023), degree 13% (below 2023’s 13.4%), yield 38 hl/ha. JLL’s overall assessment: Cornas 2024 is balanced and promising, with ripe tannins.
2019 Cornas: La Geynale five stars (“firm, deep, dark; in a different league from Granit 60”). Granit 60 four-to-five stars. Cornas received no August rain, giving denser, more solar wines. See 2019 Rhone Vintage.
2018 Cornas: La Geynale four-to-five stars (“blackberry-elderberry, roses; reduction on opening, then opens beautifully”). Granit 30: “oxtail, blue fruit, cool; jolly.” Saint-Joseph Les Cotes: “style and purity in black fruit.” The hierarchy of soils was never stronger — selecting wines with the most Cornasien mineral was key. See 2018 Rhone Vintage.
2014 Cornas: Vincent Paris harvested before the September rains. He told JLL: “the Geynale wine is more accessible than usual. July was very rainy and cold, so tannins this year are supple, the wines are fruited and aromatic, and suited to drinking young.” Cornas was the standout Northern Rhône appellation in 2014. See 2014 Rhone Vintage.
2010 Cornas: La Geynale six stars; Granit 60 five stars. Rich wines with fresh tannins — a perfectly balanced vintage. See 2010 Rhone Vintage.
2008 Cornas: Vincent on his 0.8 ha on Genale (a prime site): “In 2008, the Genale crop was 12 to 12.5 degrees when the rains came, the most ripe of my crop. We also had hail, so even more sorting was needed. Some bunches were dry and OK, others were damaged. I therefore waited until the end of September.” Young vine yield 38 hl/ha, La Geynale and Granit 60 at 23 hl/ha. See 2008 Rhone Vintage.
Sources
sources/articles/JLL/Domaine_Vincent_Paris.txtsources/articles/JLL/rhone_wines_data.json— Wine-by-wine vintage notes (JLL / drinkRhone.com)sources/articles/JLL/rhone_vintage_reports.json— JLL vintage reports 2008-2024