SOUILLARD CORNAS SAINT-PIERRE 2021

Most Cornas is harvested when the rest of the appellation says it's time — Saint-Pierre waits. The vineyard's high elevation keeps it cooler than neighboring sites, pushing harvest later and slowing ripening on gravelly-sandy soils over granite bedrock. Souillard farms lutte raisonnée, ferments with indigenous yeast, and ages 20 months in older oak barrels, keeping the fruit primary without new-wood interference. Syrah from vines planted in the early 1970s delivers dark cherry, cured meat, and cracked pepper, with a mineral, iron-edged finish and firm tannins built for extended cellaring.