Cornalin 2022 - AOC Valais
This first confidential vintage is aged in oak barrels for 18 months. Patience in the vineyard and patience in the cellar for the wine to calm its ardor. It then takes on a remarkable finesse. Cornalin has a fruity strength and an insolent youth.
Cornalin has a long history rooted in the Swiss canton of Valais, renowned for its exceptional wines. Its origins date back centuries, with the first written mention in 1313. Traditionally known as Rouge du Pays, this grape variety was renamed Cornalin, adopting the name of a grape variety native to the Aosta Valley. This appellation proved surprisingly prophetic, as DNA testing revealed that Cornalin is the result of a natural cross between two Aosta Valley grape varieties, Petit Rouge and Mayolet. Originally from the Aosta Valley, it was most likely introduced to the Valais a long time ago via the Great St. Bernard Pass, although it has disappeared from its region of origin.
While it almost disappeared with the advent of modern grape varieties, Cornalin was rehabilitated in the 1970s by the agricultural engineer Jean Nicollier, who renamed it "Cornalin". Despite its gradual disappearance at the beginning of the 20th century due to phylloxera and the preference for new grape varieties, Cornalin was rediscovered and has become a popular Valais speciality since the 1990s. It now plays a central role in preserving the region's wine genetic heritage.
Cornalin is among the oldest indigenous grape varieties planted in Valais. A capricious grape variety for which the winemaker must be patient, it produces wines for laying down of great quality.
Grape variety
100% Cornalin
Vinification
This first confidential vintage is aged in oak barrels for 18 months. Patience in the vineyard and patience in the cellar for the wine to calm its ardor. It then takes on a remarkable finesse. Cornalin has a fruity strength and an insolent youth.
2022 Vintage
The year 2022 experienced exceptional weather conditions and a scorching summer. It was also characterized by a very low level of precipitation throughout the growing season and grape maturity. Coupled with the high temperatures, this phenomenon favored high evaporation, greatly accentuating the water deficit in the soil and making it necessary, in certain situations, to irrigate more than usual.
These hot and dry climatic conditions particularly benefited the vines and were very unfavorable to fungal diseases and other pests. After bud break in mid-April, the vine grew rapidly and continuously. Flowering began in mid-May, two weeks ahead of the ten-year average, and the harvest began at the end of August.
With 26 million kilos of red grapes and 20 million kilos of white grapes, the 2022 Valais harvest is close to that recorded in 2019 and 10% higher than the ten-year average. As a reminder, the very poor 2021 harvest, heavily affected by frost and mildew, produced 22.7 million kilos.
The natural sugar contents of the 2022 vintage are close to the ten-year averages for Chasselas (81 °Oe), Sylvaner (94 °Oe), Pinot Noir (95 °Oe) and Gamay (95 °Oe).
The quality of the wines is very promising. A somewhat surprising freshness for this warm and early vintage gives them energy and vitality, balancing the deliciousness in a very delicate way.
The white wines have character with a beautiful aromatic exuberance. On the palate, the fruitiness is bright, combining floral notes and ripe fruits, while revealing an astonishing freshness. The red wines are full-bodied yet subtle. They express themselves in a rich palette of black fruits and warm spices, with beautiful silky and melted tannins.
Tasting
Storage
Can be stored for 5 to 8 years (in good temperature and humidity conditions).
