Seeing the names “Verset” and “Cornas” together always raises the eyebrows of anyone who knows the wines of the Northern Rhone. So you will be interested to hear that you can now taste the Cornas... Read More

Seeing the names “Verset” and “Cornas” together always raises the eyebrows of anyone who knows the wines of the Northern Rhone. So you will be interested to hear that you can now taste the Cornas of Emmanuelle Verset.

Let's do a quick bit of geneology: Emmanuelle is the daughter of Alain Verset, whose father, Louis, was Noel's brother. That makes Emmanuelle the grand-niece of Noel Verset.

But it's the non-geneological connection that's far more important here. Emmanuelle has inherited actual vines from Noel Verset -- the Champelrose vineyard -- and has dedicated herself to making wines with the same purity, love of tradition and respect for terroir that made her great uncle so famous.

We have come across her domaine before. About ten years ago, we tasted some 2010 Cornas from the Domaine of Alain Verset. That wine was merely good, not great.

Fast forward to today and the name of the domaine is no longer Alain Verset but "A&E" Verset, the “E” honoring Emmanuelle. Emmanuelle is now responsible for the wines, as Alain has retired, and she has changed virtually everything. She converted the vines to organic cultivation, and built a whole new winery with things that seem commonplace today like temperature control and a pneumatic press, but which did not exist under Alain’s watch.

A&E Verset possesses not only vines inherited from Noel Verset, but also from Alain's father, Louis (Noel’s brother). This includes 100+ year-old parcels in Geynale and Les Mazards! Emmanuelle now has in her hands what is surely one of the best collections of Cornas terroirs out there.

Emmanuelle's wines are, frankly, much better than her dad's. There is the same respect for tradition: she uses 100% whole cluster and she uses no new oak. But unlike Alain, her wine-making is incredibly precise. This helps avoid volatile acidity and bacterial elements, resulting in the astonishingly pure Syrah that she is making today.

Still off the radar, we are convinced that these wines will become well known soon enough. The Verset name will surely help, but when people actually get their hands on bottles and taste the quality, Emmanuelle will become a star in her own right.