St Joseph Les Côtes, Domaine Vincent Paris 2021

Working close to the banks of the Rhône itself, in an industrial warehouse, Vincent Paris is living proof that the real magic happens in the vineyards regardless of how photogenic the cellars are. His eight hectares of vines are principally on the steep slopes of Cornas, with 1.5 hectares in St Joseph, and he practices minimal intervention, except on some of the extreme slopes where it is just not practical to do everything by hand and he has to resort to some sprays in extremis. New wood is not in his canon as he feels it detracts from the Syrah, so he uses second hand barrels and only buys some every other year. His wines remain firm favourites, focused and intense, and perhaps some of the best examples of Cornas and St Joseph to be found.