Domaine du Tunnel

Stéphane Robert is regarded as a rising star in Cornas amongst Rhône producers and wine critics alike. He started his domaine in 1996, when he was in his mid-twenties, and has added parcels over the years. He now holds 13 hectares of Syrah, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier vines split across Cornas, Saint-Péray, Saint-Joseph and more recently, Condrieu. He named his domaine after his quirky cellar, which lies in a 170m long converted railway tunnel which was once used by steam trains and is now home to this increasingly important Cornas domaine. As it spans two levels, much of the work can be accomplished by gravity, reflecting Stéphane’s winemaking ethos. Everything is done sensitively, with the aim of expressing the fine terroir of his vineyards. Grapes are hand harvested, he vinifies parcels separately and uses oak sparingly. In the case of his superb Pur Noir, a single parcel made only in the best years, the parcel changes each time according to Stéphane’s preference.