Auguste Clape
Auguste Clape has made exceptional wine in the Northern Rhone for over 50 years. He is a master of traditional wine making, doing more than anyone for the Cornas name. Now in his 80s and aided by his son, the wine is better than ever with greater depth and complexity. Some of his Petit Syrah vines are over 100 years old.

Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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Rhone | 1 | 90 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£870.25 |
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Vinous (90)Good deep, youthful red-ruby color. Pungent, sauvage nose combines game, black pepper, black raspberry, black plum, leather, woodsmoke and fresh blood. Big, rich and full in the mouth, offers Cornas rusticity in all its glory. Fat and peppery. This seems richer but lower in acidity than earlier bottles I've tasted, and could use a bit more clarity of flavor. But very satisfying. |
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Rhone | 1 | 93 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£1,368.04 |
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Vinous (93)Vivid ruby. Highly expressive bouquet of fresh raspberry, cherry, violet and black olive, with slow-building minerality. More lively and precise than the Renaissance, with strong mineral cut to the expansive red fruit flavors. Silky tannins arrive with air and add grip to the long, spicy, impressively pure finish. This wine picked up a lot of richness in the glass but maintained vibrancy and clarity. |
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Rhone | 1 | 92 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£1,789.98 |
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Vinous (92)Compared to the remarkable 2010 that preceded it in this tasting, the 2008 Clape Cornas comes off as relatively easygoing, by Cornas standards, with velvety texture and discreet tannins framing red fruit, floral and spicecake flavors. There’s a core of juicy acidity here that adds to the impression of freshness, and the finish is long and quite smooth. While it’s ready to drink, this wine’s brightness should help it continue to age gracefully as well. |
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Rhone | 1 | 98 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£698.20 |
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Wine Advocate (98)The Cornas of the vintage is Clape’s 2012 Cornas. An incredible effort, its inky purple/black color is followed by spectacular aromas and flavors of black raspberry, graphite, beef blood, iron, cedar and white pepper (among other things). This is Cornas at its finest, with insane aromatics, full-bodied richness and massive concentration, yet at the same time staying elegant, seamless and gorgeously pure. It’s more approachable than the 2010, but should still need 3-4 years of cellaring and have two decades of longevity. |
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Rhone | 1 | 98 (JS) |
Inc. VAT
£2,688.07 |
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James Suckling (98)A more floral and perfumed wine than the 2015 Renaissance. Violets add interest to plenty peppery red plums and wild red berries. Darker berries, graphite and stony notes, too. So much here. The palate arrives in silky ribbon-like mode, it has a very long core of blackberries, licorice and spiced plum flavors. Superior definition in the tannin department. A taut finish. Drink from 2025. |
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Rhone | 1 | 98 (JS) |
Inc. VAT
£610.82 |
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James Suckling (98)A more floral and perfumed wine than the 2015 Renaissance. Violets add interest to plenty peppery red plums and wild red berries. Darker berries, graphite and stony notes, too. So much here. The palate arrives in silky ribbon-like mode, it has a very long core of blackberries, licorice and spiced plum flavors. Superior definition in the tannin department. A taut finish. Drink from 2025. |
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Rhone | 1 | 98 (JS) |
Inc. VAT
£2,842.87 |
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James Suckling (98)A more floral and perfumed wine than the 2015 Renaissance. Violets add interest to plenty peppery red plums and wild red berries. Darker berries, graphite and stony notes, too. So much here. The palate arrives in silky ribbon-like mode, it has a very long core of blackberries, licorice and spiced plum flavors. Superior definition in the tannin department. A taut finish. Drink from 2025. |
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Rhone | 1 | 95 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£338.81 |
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Vinous (95)Dark, youthful purple. Powerful, smoke- and mineral-accented aromas of ripe dark berries, licorice, olive and a hint of incense on the deeply perfumed nose. Juicy and sharply delineated in the mouth, offering concentrated, spice-laced blackberry, bitter cherry and fruitcake flavors that take on a smoky aspect as the wine opens up. In an ample but lively style, finishing juicy and extremely long, with building tannins adding framework and youthful grip. |
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Rhone | 1 | 96-97 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£1,533.67 |
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Vinous (96-97)Spice- and mineral- accented dark berry, smoky bacon and floral pastille scents show excellent delineation and pick up deeper licorice and olive paste notes with air. Sappy and expansive in the mouth, offering juicy boysenberry, bitter cherry and spicecake flavors that show outstanding depth and are lifted by a potent mineral flourish. Powerful yet lively in character, delivering solid finishing thrust and closing with noteworthy tenacity and youthfully chewy tannins that build steadily. |
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Rhone | 1 | 96-97 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£397.22 |
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Vinous (96-97)Spice- and mineral- accented dark berry, smoky bacon and floral pastille scents show excellent delineation and pick up deeper licorice and olive paste notes with air. Sappy and expansive in the mouth, offering juicy boysenberry, bitter cherry and spicecake flavors that show outstanding depth and are lifted by a potent mineral flourish. Powerful yet lively in character, delivering solid finishing thrust and closing with noteworthy tenacity and youthfully chewy tannins that build steadily. |
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Rhone | 1 | 96-97 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£751.24 |
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Vinous (96-97)Spice- and mineral- accented dark berry, smoky bacon and floral pastille scents show excellent delineation and pick up deeper licorice and olive paste notes with air. Sappy and expansive in the mouth, offering juicy boysenberry, bitter cherry and spicecake flavors that show outstanding depth and are lifted by a potent mineral flourish. Powerful yet lively in character, delivering solid finishing thrust and closing with noteworthy tenacity and youthfully chewy tannins that build steadily. |
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Rhone | 1 | 97-98 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£1,936.87 |
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Vinous (97-98)Glass-staining ruby. Intensely perfumed dark berry preserve, violet oil, olive, cured meat and woodsmoke scents show fine definition and vibrant spice- and mineral-driven lift. Offers palate-staining, spice-laced blackberry, bitter cherry, fruitcake and violet pastille flavors that deepen and open up steadily through the midpalate, while maintaining energy. The strikingly long, penetrating finish features youthfully chewy tannins, a sweet touch of cola and lingering floral and exotic spice qualities. All whole clusters and no new oak, as usual. |
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Rhone | 1 | - |
Inc. VAT
£591.40 |
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Rhone | 1 | 94 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£982.87 |
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Vinous (94)Opaque ruby. Intensely perfumed aromas of dark berry liqueur, succulent flowers, olive paste and baking spices show very good clarity and mineral lift. Juicy blackberry, kirsch, chewing tobacco and floral pastille flavors display sharp definition and take on a smoky aspect with air. The long, energetic finish features building tannins and resonating spice, smoke and mineral nuances. |
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Rhone | 1 | 95-96 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£893.38 |
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Vinous (95-96)Dark violet. Offers dark berry preserves, fruitcake, smoky minerals, olive and pungent flower notes on the highly perfumed nose. Stains the palate with sappy black and blue fruit and floral pastille flavors; black pepper and mineral accents add lift and back-end cut. Quite deep but energetic as well, finishing on a building tannic note and with impressive, dark fruit-dominated persistence. |
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Rhone | 1 | 94 (VN) |
Inc. VAT
£289.49 |
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Vinous (94)Dark magenta. Intense dark fruit and floral scents, along with hints of olive paste, smoked meat and exotic spices. Sweet and expansive on the palate, offering bitter cherry and cassis flavors that are underscored by a vein of juicy acidity. Rich and broad but energetic as well, showing bright clarity and a lingering floral nuance on the long, youthfully tannic finish. |
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Rhone | 1 | 99+ (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£5,996.47 |
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Wine Advocate (99+)I can’t say the same thing about the 2010 Cornas, as it’s crazily backwards, concentrated and structured, and needs some bottle age to round into form. Nevertheless, the incredible quality is present in its purity, focus, full-bodied richness and awesome finish. Give it another 3-4 years and enjoy it over the following 15-20 years (if not more). |
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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Rhone | 1 | 90 (VN) |
In Bond
£722.00 |
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Vinous (90)Good deep, youthful red-ruby color. Pungent, sauvage nose combines game, black pepper, black raspberry, black plum, leather, woodsmoke and fresh blood. Big, rich and full in the mouth, offers Cornas rusticity in all its glory. Fat and peppery. This seems richer but lower in acidity than earlier bottles I've tasted, and could use a bit more clarity of flavor. But very satisfying. |
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Rhone | 1 | 93 (VN) |
In Bond
£1,124.00 |
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Vinous (93)Vivid ruby. Highly expressive bouquet of fresh raspberry, cherry, violet and black olive, with slow-building minerality. More lively and precise than the Renaissance, with strong mineral cut to the expansive red fruit flavors. Silky tannins arrive with air and add grip to the long, spicy, impressively pure finish. This wine picked up a lot of richness in the glass but maintained vibrancy and clarity. |
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Rhone | 1 | 92 (VN) |
In Bond
£1,466.00 |
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Vinous (92)Compared to the remarkable 2010 that preceded it in this tasting, the 2008 Clape Cornas comes off as relatively easygoing, by Cornas standards, with velvety texture and discreet tannins framing red fruit, floral and spicecake flavors. There’s a core of juicy acidity here that adds to the impression of freshness, and the finish is long and quite smooth. While it’s ready to drink, this wine’s brightness should help it continue to age gracefully as well. |
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Rhone | 1 | 98 (WA) |
In Bond
£569.00 |
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Wine Advocate (98)The Cornas of the vintage is Clape’s 2012 Cornas. An incredible effort, its inky purple/black color is followed by spectacular aromas and flavors of black raspberry, graphite, beef blood, iron, cedar and white pepper (among other things). This is Cornas at its finest, with insane aromatics, full-bodied richness and massive concentration, yet at the same time staying elegant, seamless and gorgeously pure. It’s more approachable than the 2010, but should still need 3-4 years of cellaring and have two decades of longevity. |
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Rhone | 1 | 98 (JS) |
In Bond
£2,208.00 |
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James Suckling (98)A more floral and perfumed wine than the 2015 Renaissance. Violets add interest to plenty peppery red plums and wild red berries. Darker berries, graphite and stony notes, too. So much here. The palate arrives in silky ribbon-like mode, it has a very long core of blackberries, licorice and spiced plum flavors. Superior definition in the tannin department. A taut finish. Drink from 2025. |
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Rhone | 1 | 98 (JS) |
In Bond
£501.00 |
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James Suckling (98)A more floral and perfumed wine than the 2015 Renaissance. Violets add interest to plenty peppery red plums and wild red berries. Darker berries, graphite and stony notes, too. So much here. The palate arrives in silky ribbon-like mode, it has a very long core of blackberries, licorice and spiced plum flavors. Superior definition in the tannin department. A taut finish. Drink from 2025. |
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Rhone | 1 | 98 (JS) |
In Bond
£2,337.00 |
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James Suckling (98)A more floral and perfumed wine than the 2015 Renaissance. Violets add interest to plenty peppery red plums and wild red berries. Darker berries, graphite and stony notes, too. So much here. The palate arrives in silky ribbon-like mode, it has a very long core of blackberries, licorice and spiced plum flavors. Superior definition in the tannin department. A taut finish. Drink from 2025. |
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Rhone | 1 | 95 (VN) |
In Bond
£277.00 |
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Vinous (95)Dark, youthful purple. Powerful, smoke- and mineral-accented aromas of ripe dark berries, licorice, olive and a hint of incense on the deeply perfumed nose. Juicy and sharply delineated in the mouth, offering concentrated, spice-laced blackberry, bitter cherry and fruitcake flavors that take on a smoky aspect as the wine opens up. In an ample but lively style, finishing juicy and extremely long, with building tannins adding framework and youthful grip. |
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Rhone | 1 | 96-97 (VN) |
In Bond
£1,246.00 |
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Vinous (96-97)Spice- and mineral- accented dark berry, smoky bacon and floral pastille scents show excellent delineation and pick up deeper licorice and olive paste notes with air. Sappy and expansive in the mouth, offering juicy boysenberry, bitter cherry and spicecake flavors that show outstanding depth and are lifted by a potent mineral flourish. Powerful yet lively in character, delivering solid finishing thrust and closing with noteworthy tenacity and youthfully chewy tannins that build steadily. |
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Rhone | 1 | 96-97 (VN) |
In Bond
£323.00 |
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Vinous (96-97)Spice- and mineral- accented dark berry, smoky bacon and floral pastille scents show excellent delineation and pick up deeper licorice and olive paste notes with air. Sappy and expansive in the mouth, offering juicy boysenberry, bitter cherry and spicecake flavors that show outstanding depth and are lifted by a potent mineral flourish. Powerful yet lively in character, delivering solid finishing thrust and closing with noteworthy tenacity and youthfully chewy tannins that build steadily. |
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Rhone | 1 | 96-97 (VN) |
In Bond
£610.00 |
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Vinous (96-97)Spice- and mineral- accented dark berry, smoky bacon and floral pastille scents show excellent delineation and pick up deeper licorice and olive paste notes with air. Sappy and expansive in the mouth, offering juicy boysenberry, bitter cherry and spicecake flavors that show outstanding depth and are lifted by a potent mineral flourish. Powerful yet lively in character, delivering solid finishing thrust and closing with noteworthy tenacity and youthfully chewy tannins that build steadily. |
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Rhone | 1 | 97-98 (VN) |
In Bond
£1,582.00 |
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Vinous (97-98)Glass-staining ruby. Intensely perfumed dark berry preserve, violet oil, olive, cured meat and woodsmoke scents show fine definition and vibrant spice- and mineral-driven lift. Offers palate-staining, spice-laced blackberry, bitter cherry, fruitcake and violet pastille flavors that deepen and open up steadily through the midpalate, while maintaining energy. The strikingly long, penetrating finish features youthfully chewy tannins, a sweet touch of cola and lingering floral and exotic spice qualities. All whole clusters and no new oak, as usual. |
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Rhone | 1 | - |
In Bond
£480.00 |
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Rhone | 1 | 94 (VN) |
In Bond
£787.00 |
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Vinous (94)Opaque ruby. Intensely perfumed aromas of dark berry liqueur, succulent flowers, olive paste and baking spices show very good clarity and mineral lift. Juicy blackberry, kirsch, chewing tobacco and floral pastille flavors display sharp definition and take on a smoky aspect with air. The long, energetic finish features building tannins and resonating spice, smoke and mineral nuances. |
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Rhone | 1 | 95-96 (VN) |
In Bond
£706.00 |
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Vinous (95-96)Dark violet. Offers dark berry preserves, fruitcake, smoky minerals, olive and pungent flower notes on the highly perfumed nose. Stains the palate with sappy black and blue fruit and floral pastille flavors; black pepper and mineral accents add lift and back-end cut. Quite deep but energetic as well, finishing on a building tannic note and with impressive, dark fruit-dominated persistence. |
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Rhone | 1 | 94 (VN) |
In Bond
£222.00 |
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Vinous (94)Dark magenta. Intense dark fruit and floral scents, along with hints of olive paste, smoked meat and exotic spices. Sweet and expansive on the palate, offering bitter cherry and cassis flavors that are underscored by a vein of juicy acidity. Rich and broad but energetic as well, showing bright clarity and a lingering floral nuance on the long, youthfully tannic finish. |
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Rhone | 1 | 99+ (WA) |
In Bond
£4,965.00 |
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Wine Advocate (99+)I can’t say the same thing about the 2010 Cornas, as it’s crazily backwards, concentrated and structured, and needs some bottle age to round into form. Nevertheless, the incredible quality is present in its purity, focus, full-bodied richness and awesome finish. Give it another 3-4 years and enjoy it over the following 15-20 years (if not more). |