Cornalin Passerillé 2020

Thierry Constantin, former Swiss marathon champion with a record time of 2 hours and 14 minutes, has found a new field of activity as a winemaker that is equally characterized by dedication and precision.

Today, he works alone in his cellar near Sion and admits that he finds it difficult to delegate. His life revolves entirely around wine, a passion that has accompanied him since childhood. Even in kindergarten he knew he wanted to be a winemaker, and even today the work never feels like a burden to him. When he took over his father's winery in 1995, he had clear ideas: He no longer wanted to sell grapes, but to produce his own wine. Of the original 12 hectares, he kept only 6.5 hectares of the best terroir for the grape varieties he wanted to plant. His main focus was on gastronomy, which today accounts for two thirds of his clientele. Constantin attaches great importance to precision and patience, allowing his wines to mature for a long time. "I focus on more extraction and want to maintain the tension," he explains. His white wines in particular, which never undergo a second fermentation, mature on the lees and are only sold after two winters. His philosophy: less intervention, more quality. At 54 years old, he is in no hurry to let his vines age, which increases the quality. He is particularly proud of his Païen, which he ages in barriques, as well as his "vin de voile", which is characterized by oxidation. Constantin is convinced that a good wine can only be made by carefully tending the vines and selecting the best grapes.

As a known perfectionist, he does not shy away from any work, even if it is hard. He is like those aesthetes whose conviction underlies every stage of wine culture, vine care, winemaking, the search for a great wine. With this inclination to a job well done, with love and energy, excellent, authentic wines are produced every year.

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