Solid granite is the matter which makes up these vineyards and, it seems, the wines they produce. Thierry Allemand is a brilliant but complicated man who towers over others in the appellation not just in height but in quality. He is well known for operating a low or no sulphur regime in his winery. Syrah doesn`t need as much as some people give it anyway, and he takes advantage of this. In the days - a brief 30 or 40 years ago - when the Rhone was in the same sort of trouble that much of the Languedoc is now, Cornas was the most vulnerable AOC. Cornas is rugged, scrubby, exposed, extreme vine country and it takes guts, determination and bloody mindedness to survive here, let alone prosper. With no family vineyards, a job with Robert Michel, and later (and concurrently) with Noel Verset, this man started out with just a half acre of his own. Most of that half acre had no vines and needed clearing as well as planting. During the eighties and early nineties what held him back from a quality point of view was a lack of old vines and a desire to learn the job on the job and the hard way. This meant a ten year period with just one week`s holiday. No surprise that among the forms he so despises filling out were his divorce papers. Now, the still-slightly-cross Thierry Allemand has just over 4 hectares, a new winery and - between producing some stunning wines from maturing and older purchased plots - has the freedom to rebuild the drystone walls propping up his terraces if he so desires. I think he must have chilled out a bit, very generous with time and tastings, and happy to talk about his vineyards and cellars way up on the top of the hills above the river and Valence. (CW 30/03/08)