2021 Cornas Billes Noires, Domaine du Coulet

• Style: Structured, mineral Syrah
• Taste: Violet, blackberry, black olive, cracked pepper, granite minerality
• Food: Roasted lamb, beef stew, duck, aged cheese
• Occasion: Gifting, cellar worthy
• Serve: 12.5% ABV, bone dry, crisp acidity

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

Violet and blackberry aromatics open with a savoury black olive undertone and whisper of cracked pepper. The palate is structured and muscular yet refined, with sculpted tannins holding dark fruit and mineral core. At 12.5% alcohol with 5.5g/L acidity, this Syrah drinks with clarity and purpose — a wine that speaks directly to Cornas's granite terraces.

The Winery — Domaine du Coulet

Matthieu Barret, a seventh-generation vigneron trained in Beaune, inherited vines from his grandfather and established his own domaine in Cornas starting in 2000. He immediately committed to organic and biodynamic farming, working the steep vineyards with horses and mules. Billes Noires draws from top-of-slope parcels with vines averaging 40 to 100 years old, where roots penetrate deep granite. Hand-harvested fruit was fermented with wild yeasts in egg-shaped concrete vats (80% destemmed, minimal intervention), then aged two years in the same vessels — a process of restraint that defines this wine's precision.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

This mineral Syrah pairs beautifully with roasted lamb, braised beef, duck, and aged hard cheeses. The wine's balanced structure and granite spine make it equally at home with a winter stew or a formal dinner. Organic and vegan-friendly, it belongs in any serious red wine collection. Explore our Syrah & Shiraz selection to discover other cool-climate expressions, browse our France range, or discover more from our Full Bodied Red Wine collection.