Endangered Species: The view from one of Clape's Cornas site. 
A friend and Mosel-based wine importer alerted me this morning to some serious mishugas in Cornas, a region of the N. Rhone I am extremely devoted to. The lunatic mayor is about to give the go ahead to real estate development for a building.....and thusly ripping out Les Mazards. This would also include cutting into the Pied de la Vigne site, one on which Clape tends to century old syrah.
Cornas is a magical place with inverted vine-lined bowls of land --producing animal, chutzpah filled wine, There is not enough of it. It stuns the brain how a mayor--not even the EU but a Cornasian---could sell off his neighbors children.
Letters of outrage to the Mayor are being requested. No email, must be snailed or faxed.
Monsieur Gilbert Garnier
Le Maire de Cornas
Mairie de Cornas
07130 Cornas
France
Or email Vincent Paris, the syndicate's President --vinparis@wanadoo.fr-- for the petition.
You can read more on John-Livingstone Learmonth's site
http://www.drinkrhone.com/index.php?id=25.
