Summary
Domaine Cornulus in Savièse is one of the defining addresses of the Valais. The cousins Stéphane Reynard and Dany Varone farm around 15 hectares spread across roughly 250 individual terraces in several communes of the central Rhône valley – a patchwork of small parcels linked by drystone walls and steep slopes. The estate has worked biodynamically since 1999. Every site is picked and vinified separately, so that as little as possible of what the vineyard delivers gets lost in the cellar. The result is dry, precise wines from Chasselas, Petite Arvine, Syrah and a whole range of indigenous Valais varieties.
History
The estate's story begins in 1986, when the cousins Stéphane Reynard and Dany Varone joined forces. At the outset there was no vineyard of their own, but a garage: the two bought grapes from growers in Savièse and initially aged the wine under the name Buteo. In 1989 the Cornulus selection emerged from this – a name that soon stood for the whole operation.
The decisive break came in 1999. That year the pair acquired the Clos des Corbassières, a site still regarded today as the heart of the estate. In the same year they decided to convert to biodynamic farming – at a time when that was still very much the exception in the Valais.
Through the 2000s the estate grew parcel by parcel: vines in highly regarded zones of the communes of Sion and Sierre were added, as were the sites Chamaray, Saint-Charles and La Follie. Instead of a single contiguous domaine, what emerged is a mosaic of many small units – laborious to farm, but an ideal basis for wines with distinct signatures.
Location & Terroir
Savièse lies on the sunny side of the Rhône valley, on the slopes above Sion. The Valais is one of Europe's driest and sunniest wine regions: the surrounding Alps largely keep rain clouds out, rainfall is low and sunshine hours are plentiful. For centuries irrigation came from the bisses (Suonen in German), historic water channels that carry glacial meltwater across the slopes.
Viticulture here takes place on terraces held by drystone walls. The gradient is extreme in places, machines are barely usable and much of the work remains manual. It is precisely this fragmentation that explains the structure of Cornulus: around 250 individual terraces spread over several communes, with differing altitudes, exposures and soil types – from moraine through schistous to limestone-bearing substrates. The altitude brings cool nights that preserve freshness and tension in the wines despite all the sun.
Style & Philosophy
The guiding idea is quickly told and laborious to implement: the wine should show its origin, not the cellar technique. That is why every parcel is vinified separately. What differs in the vineyard stays different in the cellar – only then do the fine distinctions between two neighbouring terraces become visible at all.
In the vineyard this has meant biodynamics since 1999: living soils, deep rooting, work in natural rhythms and a consistent renunciation of synthetic inputs. Yields are correspondingly moderate, the fruit healthy and ripe without ever seeming overripe.
Stylistically that means: Chasselas (bottled as Fendant in the Valais) with drive and a saline finish rather than neutrality; Petite Arvine with citrus, spice and the salty edge typical of the variety; Ermitage (Marsanne) full-bodied and long. Among the reds, Syrah takes centre stage – a variety with a long tradition in the Valais, here more spicy and taut than opulent. Add to that indigenous specialities such as Cornalin and Humagne Rouge, which give the range its unmistakably Valaisan character.
Notable Sites & Wines
The range follows the logic of the parcels rather than a rigid pyramid. Among the best-known sites and wines are:
- Clos des Corbassières – acquired in 1999, the heart of the estate; the basis for both whites and reds
- Clos de Mangold and Clos des Monzuettes – further walled sites in the portfolio
- Chamaray – known above all for Syrah
- Saint-Charles and La Follie – parcels added during the 2000s
- Valais specialities such as Amigne, Humagne Blanche, Cornalin and Ermitage
If you want to get to know the style, start with the Fendant: it shows the typical combination of freshness, salinity and a cool core that gains considerably more depth and length in the specialities and reds.
Awards
Cornulus has for years been among Switzerland's consistently highly rated producers and appears in the best-of lists of Gault&Millau Suisse. The estate has also been successful at national competitions – at the Grand Prix du Vin Suisse an Ermitage from the 2007 vintage was awarded gold, among others. On top of that come consistently good scores in the international trade press.
At least as telling is the role the estate plays within the Valais itself: as an early advocate of biodynamics, and as a producer that does not abandon the steep terraces but sees in them its real value, Cornulus has helped ensure that Valais specialities are today taken seriously far beyond the canton's borders.