Vincent Paris Cornas: Old vine Syrah on Granite defined.

Bonjour du Monde Granitique de Cornas,
Vincent Paris has truly come into his own.  This 40 year old native son of the steep Granite terraces of sleepy Cornas is making pure, unadulterated expressions of an essence of Northern Rhone syrah that bring to mind the greatness of traditionalist growers such as Thierry Allemand and Auguste Clape, his direct neighbors in his vineyards.  After his uncle, Robert Michel, retired in 2006, there was a bidding war between many of the valley’s greatest producers, Jean Louis Chave among others, to purchase the coveted old vines that his family has owned for four generations in the Reynard sector, in particular the very old vines of the Geynale lieu dit.  At the end of the day, it was a family affair, blood being thicker than mud (as Sly Stone would put it); his uncle passed on the opportunity for what seemed to be a sky-is-the-limit price tag, preferring to sell to his nephew far below “market value”.  Some things aren’t just about money.  Familial heritage and transcendence still have a place above all else in the values of many vignerons of the world……
Whilst Vincent began his domaine in 1997, there were many years of trial and error, some successes and failures as he sculpted his own identity and style.  Slowly and surely, he has polished out the overly rustic qualities often found in the appellation, harmonized being non-interventionist with cleanliness, and has allowed a certain unadulterated purity of the old vine stony depth to stand naked in the foreground.  The reds are vinified first in tank, then aged in neutral old barrique, at least 2 years old.  The critical world has taken notice, his collections from 2008 onward have been reviewed at the top of the heap alongside the prestigious historical greats (with their ever increasing fetishized $$$).
When I met with Vincent last Sunday, we walked the vineyards on a Mistral inflected blustery day; we often had to wait for the wind to die down to even be able to hear one another speak.  This signature strong cooling wind is part of what gives these wines their sense of balance, allowing for relatively low natural alcohol with preserved acidity.  The old vines and pure Granite soils allow for paltry yields of small berries, with a natural concentration and intensity of color, fruit, and stone.
Pictured above is Vincent standing at the foot of his parcel in La Geynale.  He owns a smidge over 1 hectare in what may be the finest single lieu dit in the appellation, planted by his great grandfather.  As it sits towards the bottom of the slope in the Reynard sector, it contains much of the decomposed Granite from the hillside above, rendering it an even stonier terroir.  Allemand has a small portion of Geynale next to Vincent, that he blends into his Reynard bottling.  Conversely, Vincent is neighbors with Allemand in his upper slope Reynard vineyards, which Vincent blends into his Geynale.
In the cellars, we tasted through his in bottle 2012s.  Man oh man, these wines just plain kick major ass.  In fruit density, ripeness, freshness, and stoniness, his 2012 collection is a smashing success that surely will rival his superlative 2010 collection, a “vintage of the century” sort of an ideal.  Vincent said himself that these ’12s are right there alongside the ’10s, if not surpassing them at the level of the Granit 60 and Geynale.  They are fully phenolically ripe (fully ripe, fine grained tannin), with integrated bright acidity.  I’ve included some specific tasting notes alongside each wine below.  Mark my words, when the critics chime in, these will all be right there at the top of the heap once again.
As a person, Vincent has a gentle and kind manner, a bit introverted.  Like his wines, there is a sincerity and authenticity that is undeniable.  I’ve got pretty good instincts about people, and this guy is a good egg through and through.  He has two young children, ages 2 and 8, little girl and boy respectively.  His years of hard work and sacrifice are now paying off, allowing for a stable base upon which his young family can grow.  He deserves every bit of it……AND THE WINES: