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Thierry Allemand

Thierry Allemand did not come from a family with a history of winemaking, and was not fortunate enough to be the recipient of a family estate of vines as is the case with many other great French domaines. Allemand grew up in Cornas, surrounding by ancient vines, because his father, a factory worker, had settled there. Fascinated by the vineyards that were all around him, he developed a passion for the local wine that may have exceeded that of many of the vignerons! He started off as a cellar-rat at Domaine Robert Michel, and worked there for over a decade, gaining a valuable understanding of the wine. Concurrently, in his spare time, he was cleaning up an abandoned vineyard which he had purchased in 1981.

Allemand's first vintage was in 1982, with a minuscule production of about 64 cases! The quantities have increased since then, which is fortunate as so has worldwide demand for these wines. A typical annual production is now ten times this amount. Although Allemand began by producing a single cuvée, in 1990 and in most vintages since he has produced two cuvées. Firstly there is Les Chaillots, sourced from the limestone slopes of Chaillot to the northwest of Cornas and from La Côte, a granitic slope just to the west. The vines here are generally less than 30 years of age. The cuvée Reynard is sourced from the slopes of the same name to the west of the village, where some of the best sites are to be found. This is a very well established site, including some old vines of 80 years of age purchased from brothers Louis and Noel Verset. Yields at both sites are low, typically between 20 and 30 hl/ha. After fermentation both wines are stored in cask and inox (more wood for Reynard) for about a year before racking by gravity, a light fining if required, and bottling. The wines are not filtered.

A more recent addition to his portfolio is a plot of old vines in Reynard, purchased from Noel Verset. He also has a plot of vines in St Joseph, which goes to the local co-operative. This is a shame, I feel - St Joseph is the sort of appellation that needs a star winemaker to give the locals the impetus they need to improve the quality of their wines. (30/3/04)

Contact details:
Address: RN 86, 07130 Cornas
Telephone: +33 (0) 4 75 81 06 50

Thierry Allemand - Tasting Notes

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Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard 2001: A somewhat deeper colour here. The nose has great interest, offering aromas of beef extract before it closes down. Big palate, with plenty of sweet fruit, backed up by spicy tannins and matching acidity. This has the necessary elements for development in bottle. Lovely firm finish. From a Rhône 2001 blind tasting. 17.5+/20 (March 2003)

Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillot 2001: An attractive glossy colour. Lovely depth of fruit on the nose although it quickly closes down in the glass. It is rich yet balanced, elegant even, not the powerhouse I expected. Nevertheless it is full with sweet fruit, ripe and spicy tannins and firm acidity. From a Rhône 2001 blind tasting. 17.5+/20 (March 2003)

Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillot 1997: This has a dense, earthy nose suggesting a little maturity. The palate is rich and creamy, but very savoury. Mature, earthy fruit flavours with a sweet edge. Not too much tannin but plenty of acidity. Lots of potential here, but should drink a little sooner than some of the other vintages. 16+/20 (March 2004)

Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard 1996: This is dark, glossy, youthful, with just some paleness at the rim. A great nose, both dense and rich with fruit, and yet perfumed and elegant at the same time. The palate is full, structured, tannic yet balanced with good fruit and acidity. This is set up nicely for future development. Keep for five years at least. 16.5+/20 (March 2004)

Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillot 1996: A dark hue, with plenty of red pigment, only early maturity. There has been plenty of development here; it is five years since I last opened a bottle. Aromatically it starts off rather animally and gamey, but these characters dissipate and the wine becomes much less expressive very quickly. And then, with about an hour and a half exposure to air it really opens out, showing smoky dark fruits with a lifted, perfumed edge. nuanced with little notes of bacon, green peppercorn and sage here too. All the unusual brothy, cabbagey and silage-like aromas first noted have gone (phew!). A lovely substance at the start, showing good grip through the middle, with a supple, fresh, bright texture. Darkly formed, concentrated but fresh, lively and with a savoury edge to the fruit. Full, supply textured but with substance beneath, nicely balanced and grippy, with a touch of tomato leaf in the middle and finish. A good wine to my palate, although admittedly there are many greener tones here that other drinkers might find displeasing. From my 1996 Vintage Fifteen Years On tasting. 16.5/20 (December 2011)

Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillot 1996: A rather dark, quite concentrated colour, with a little maturity. The nose is very giving at first, generously dishing out farmyardy, silage-type aromas which mark the wine as tainted by Brett. Interestingly, review of a note I wrote nearly three years ago reminds me of the aromas of sewage I found in that bottle, and I suspect that too was a Brett aroma. With time this blows off, leaving a closed down nose, very reticently giving a little brothy meat and even a strange blend of coffee and fresh cabbage. Very hard and unyielding on the palate, rather restrained, somewhat austere nature which may reflect the limestone and granite terroir, and is more reminiscent of a young claret than a Cornas, which is showing little in the way of character. But there is a firm, rather naked acidity and an envelope of tannins at the finish. Still needs time, I suspect five years at least (although I think I said that last time). From a 1996 vintage ten years on tasting. 16.5+/20 (December 2006)

Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillot 1996: Another dark, glossy and youthful wine. An interesting nose, with a bit of sewage at first, although this slightly unpleasant aroma blows off to leave a more acceptable although stinky nose of farmyards. The palate is massive - big, full and tannic. Full and rounded texture but not at all soft or forthcoming - fairly brutal in fact. Needs five years at least. 16.5+/20 (March 2004)

Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillot 1996: A dense red wine. Smoky nose, with complex notes of spices and fermented black beans on the nose, not noted when I last tasted this wine just six months ago. Lovely palate. Obviously very tannic and hard, but with good rather than problematic acidity. Clean, austere, meaty fruit waiting in the wings for the tannins to settle down. Notes of smoky charcoal and Indian spices on the clean finish. Despite the hard, youthful stance this wine has an elegant texture and has superb potential. From a Northern Rhône 1996 blind tasting. 17.5+/20 (July 2001)

Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillot 1996: Since 1990 Thierry Allemand has split his production into two cuvées, this and the Reynard. An intense, opaque, purple-black wine. Compost, smoke and cordite on the nose. A very, very tannic palate, with big, black fruit and a lovely texture. Big, oaky finish. Very backward. From a Rhône blind tasting. 17.5+/20 (January 2001)

Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard 1995: This is obviously more dense and youthful. It has an open, expressive nose, with some great fruit. Dense, tannic and structured on the palate, with good fruit and acidity. Nevertheless it's a little less finely balanced and fulsome than the preceding wine, although it's still a lovely wine. Again, I liked this better when I last tasted it, one year ago. 18+/20 (March 2004)

Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard 1995: A dark red-black hue. Sweet and intense fruit on the nose, with an edge of dark molasses and fine cigars. On the palate it shows real class, cool and balanced, with rich, macerated summer fruits. Fresh, correct acidity contributes towards the wines' handsome structure. Tremendous length. A massive, top class wine here. Has the substance to improve for at least five years in the cellar. From a Northern Rhône 1995 blind tasting. 18.5+/20 (March 2003)

Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard 1994: Quite a dense colour, although a tawny-tinged maturing red. A lovely, expressive nose, with dense floral fruit. Good structure on the palate, tannic and somewhat backward. Creosote and coffee influenced fruit on a sweet, lifted palate. Very pure and a classic example. Not as mind-blowing as my last tasting two years ago, but still of very high quality. 17.5+/20 (March 2004)

Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard 1994: This wine has a dense, solid purple hue. Wow - the nose is packed with intense, primary, youthful blackcurrant fruit. The palate follows on, with lots of powerful fruit, fortunately backed up by lots of structure - ripe tannins and strong acidity. Although lacking in complexity or interest at present, I'm sure this will develop with time. This is one of the most impressive bottles from this appellation I can ever recall - no wonder they command such a high price. From a Northern Rhône 1994 blind tasting. 18.5+/20 (February 2002)

Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard 1994: Allemand's other cuvée, produced from vines purchased from Noël Verset. Also a deep purple hue, but less opaque. Blackberry fruit nose, followed by a richly fruited palate. Lovely, firm tannins, although quite prominent and still to integrate fully. Some notes of cloves and oil of oranges. A lovely wine. From a Rhône blind tasting. 17.5+/20 (January 2001)