2022 Domaine du Coulet, Cornas `Brise Cailloux` - Liberty

A seventh-generation vigneron, Matthieu Barret studied viticulture in Beaune before joining his grandfather in Cornas in 1997. After inheriting a parcel of vines from his grandfather, who used to sell grapes to the local co-operative, Matthieu built up his own domaine and immediately began working the vines organically, producing his first vintage in 2000.

Domaine du Coulet now comprises 11 hectares of vines, planted on steep south/southeast-facing terraces carved into the granite rock of Cornas. The vine roots are forced to penetrate deep into the granite, leading to small yields and concentrated, powerful wines. The vines are, on average, 40 to 55 years old and certified both organic and biodynamic. Matthieu strongly believes that these viticulture principles allow him to express a sense of place and purity of fruit in the finished wine. Biodiversity and sustainability are two of Matthieu’s main concerns in managing his vineyards. In 2012, he replaced vineyard machinery with mules, horses, and manual labour. He also started to create green spaces around the vineyards to encourage biodiversity.

Matthieu has consistently pursued innovation and minimal intervention in the winery. The domaine’s grapes are harvested by hand before entering the gravity-fed winery, where they are destemmed but not crushed. In 2006, Matthieu decided to use fewer oak barrels in vinification, adopting concrete eggs and diamond-shaped vats to achieve a superior purity of fruit. From the 2017 vintage, he decided to eliminate the use of oak entirely from his winemaking. Both the ‘Brise Cailloux’ and the ‘Billes Noires’ are vinified with indigenous yeasts, with limited punch downs, for around two weeks before gentle pressing.

The ‘Brise Cailloux’ uses fruit from the terraced vineyards' mid and lower slopes. It is aged for 18 months, mainly in 20-hectolitre diamond-shaped concrete vats with a small amount in six-hectolitre amphorae. It has an expressive nose of bold red fruits with fennel and white pepper touches. The palate is fresh with cherry and blackberry fruit, structured tannins, and a long mineral finish. The ‘Billes Noires’ is made from a selection of fruit from the highest vineyards, which are drier and more exposed to wind. This, combined with the fact that the topsoil here is shallower, forcing the vines to dig deeper into the granite rock, produces a more concentrated wine. It is aged for 24 months: the first 12 months in eight-year-old 500 and 600-litre demi-muids, followed by 12 months in a mixture of 20-hectolitre diamond-shaped concrete vats and 6-hectolitre egg-shaped concrete vats. This is an intense wine with aromas of black olive, ripe red fruits, and fragrant Provençal herbs on the nose, with an impressive fruit concentration and a mineral freshness on the palate. Matthieu’s ‘No Wine’s Land’ is the latest addition to our list. Aptly named, it is a 100% Syrah sourced from a limestone plateau between Saint-Joseph and Cornas. The area was rejected from the Cornas appellation in 1936, as it did not have granite soils. Aged for 11 months in concrete tanks, it displays excellent purity of fruit and juicy tannins, coupled with hints of black olive and a mineral edge. It deftly expresses Matthieu’s signature style.

Domaine du Coulet has 11.1 hectares in Cornas. The vines are planted on steep south and south-east-facing terraces at the north of the appellation, which are carved into the granite rock of Cornas. The ‘Brise Cailloux’ is made using fruit which comes from the mid and lower slopes. The vines are between 40 to 55 years old, and were certified organic in 2001 and biodynamic in 2002. In 2012, Matthieu Barret replaced vineyard machinery with mules and horses, and began to create green spaces around the vineyards to encourage a healthy environment for wildlife.

2022 was characterised by a dry and quite warm winter followed by a warm and extremely dry spring and summer. Some much-needed strong rain arrived in mid-August which enabled the grapes to unlock their maturity, refill with juice, finish maturing perfectly. A very interesting vintage which resulted in moderate levels of alcohol and still good levels of natural acidity.