Cornalin

Description (detail)

Terroir: Goubing, Pradec and Corin
Color: Red-purple
Nose: black cherry, cocoa
Palate: dense tannins, sandalwood

An expressive Cornalin!

Red wine
Prozent
14.0
Option 1: Beschrieb
75cl
Option 1: Jahrgang
2020
Option 1: Preis
CHF 90

Matching mood

lusty & romantic

Characteristics

Aromen (Nase)
Black cherry, cocoa
Aromen (Mund)
Dense tannins, sandalwood
Complex & elegant
Dry
Oak barrel
Integrated production
Pure-sorted
Rarity
Beef
Lamb
10 years and more...

Our story

What connects us with this winery...

Denis Mercier SA

The eight-hectare vineyard with more than 50 plots around the town of Sierre was founded in 1982. The vines are mainly located in two places: Pradec, around the castle of Mercier, and Goubing, near our cellar.

Our soils are clayey and calcareous, dry and deep. For many years, the surface of the soil has been covered with natural vegetation. The entire vineyard is cultivated in an environmentally friendly way as far as possible. Caring for nature is very important to us.

The top priority for the production of quality grapes is to reduce the quantity of grapes, if necessary, right from the start in order to achieve a maximum of concentrated aromas. Each grape variety needs its own acclimatization in a given environment in order to develop its personal organoleptic potential.

The grape harvest from our plots is excellent. Our oenologist devotes her care to fermentation management in order to specifically highlight the authenticity of each terroir. The work in the wine cellar and in the vines is carried out with great sensitivity. The full aroma of individual wines is achieved by ageing in barriques.

A visit to our estate is much more than just a tasting. It is a pleasure and a moment of exchange.
Come and discover our treasures.

Madeleine, Anne-Catherine and Denis Mercier

More about the grape variety

Cornalin

«Hell wine»

Cornalin, also known as «hell wine», is an old native grape variety that was very common in the old days. The people of Valais called it the Landroten. Research has shown that it was renamed Cornalin for marketing reasons - in fact a variety of the Aosta Valley, but where it no longer occurs. The fact that Cornalin d'Aoste is called Humagne Rouge in Valais adds to the confusion that sometimes surrounds the biggest red wine in the Alps. 

But the «hell wine» is rightly named. It has a dark ruby red colour, a fine fruity bouquet and it surprises the palate with somewhat wild and spirited tannins that round off harmoniously over the years. A characterful and original wine for lovers.

Cornalin is late-ripening, sensitive and capricious in production, which is why it was almost abandoned in the middle of the 20th century. Fortunately, thanks to the patience and tenacity of a few visionary winemakers, we can still enjoy it today! In its youth, it is at the peak of its fruitiness, but it also develops very positively during a few years of ageing: its fire becomes tamer, it takes on a remarkable patina of finesse and nobility, and it moults into the ideal companion for strong meat and game dishes.

Learn more about this grape variety

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