Guillaume Gilles

Cornas, Rhône Valley

Guillaume Gilles is one of the leading lights of the new generation of Cornas producer turning this appellation around from stoic old cuvées into rich expressive Syrahs to rival Côte Rôtie and Hermitage in fame. Guillaume worked with Robert Michel in Cornas before he retired and spent four years working at Domaine Jean-Louis Chave. Guillaume was fortunate to receive a parcel of Robert Michel’s Chaillot vines on his retirement, the foundation around which he is slowly building his domaine.

Guillame has 2 hectares of Chaillot, in the way of a perfectly situated south/south-east facing terraced amphitheatre. The Cornas comes from the higher lieux-dits of Les Grands Murs and Les Terrasses, planted in the late ’70’s, one on limestone and one on granite, and two small plantings from the 1950’s in Les Mazards and Les Saveaux.

Guillaume works his vineyards manually and organically. He makes the wines in a very traditional style, following in the footsteps of Robert Michel, whose cellar he still uses. 100% whole bunches crushed, pigeage and hand plunging, natural ferments, long maceration up to 30 days, aging 18-24 months predominantly old demi-muids (600l barrels) with frequent topping and no racking, no fining or filtration, and a low sulphur regime.

Despite their traditional production, Guillaume’s wines have an immediate appeal with floral notes, sweet, ripe berry fruits and a lovely herbal note imparted by the whole bunches and a fresh mineral character — a very pure expression of Syrah. They also have the necessary structures to age up to 20 years in a good vintage. What we like most about Guillaume’s wines is their natural balance and charm that hides the deep structure.