Dom. du Cornillac

Domaine de Cornillac is a fourth generation family-owned winery with 9.5 hectares in the town of Saint Vérand in the south of Beaujolais. The soil is a complex mix of clay, schist, sand, and plagiogranite. The vines are on hillsides at 400 meters altitude which brings freshness to the wine. This qualitative terroir gives wines with ample body and length. Schist has pockets of clay, layered with other minerals compressed into thin layers. The clay gives the wines depth and creates a reservoir of water, helping out the vines in dry periods. The plagiogranite layers give minerality, tension, and length to the wine. The plagiogranite is very similar to the blue granite found in the Côte de Brouilly. The decomposed granite gives dry extract to the wines, which translates to how the wine hangs on the palate.

The grapes are hand-harvested. Whole clusters are kept depending on the maturity of the stems. Temperature controlled tanks are used to manage the speed of the alcoholic fermentation. Pump-overs happen daily to break the cap and punch downs are used depending on the vintage.

Domaine de Cornillac is certified sustainable by HVE (Haute Valeur Ecologique), which takes into consideration the ecological infrastructure not only of the vineyards, but everything touching the vineyards – forests, hedges, etc. Cover crops are used to restore land where the vines have been removed. The core ethos is that natural habitats of flora and fauna are respected.