Wine Advisor
Etienne Guigal, Cote Rotie La Landonne 1995
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Description
Côte-Rôtie « La Landonne » completes this famous trilogy. An immense and pure wine with intense flavours and deep colour, this is the perfect wine for ageing.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The opaque black-colored 1995 La Landonne was singing when I tasted it. The wine reveals lower acidity than many 1995 northern Rhenes, good but not excessive tannin, fabulous layers of smoky, licorice, Asian spice, grilled-meat-scented and -flavored fruit, enormous body, and a massive finish. It will need 3-4 years of cellaring when released; it will keep for 25 + years. Last tasted 6/96.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The great glories of this house are its Cote Roties, of which there are now five separate offerings. Guigal believes 1995 may turn out to his greatest vintage for Cote Rotie. It is also the first vintage that his son, Philippe, did the harvest and has helped with the vinification and elevage. I should also note that it is the debut vintage for his newest acquisition, Chateau d'Ampuis. Guigal's 1995s have aged magnificently in cask, with the three single vineyards candidates for perfection. The 1995 Cote Rotie La Landonne exhibits a smoky, peppery, grilled steak-sort of nose, with copious quantities of earthy black fruits. Very unevolved and backward, this cru will require a decade of cellaring. The color is an opaque plum/purple, and the wine is excruciatingly hard, tannic, and full-bodied. This impressively-endowed La Landonne will last for 25-30 years. Guigal is one of the cellars where the wines always taste better after they are bottled than they do from cask, although as the scores in this segment indicate, some profound wines can be found in the 1994, 1995, and 1996 vintages Chez Guigal. Importer: Classic Wines, Boston, MA; tel. (617) 731-6644
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
1995 is even greater vintage for Marcel Guigal. It was also the first vintage that his son, Philippe, worked the harvest and assisted in the vinification. I did taste through the three single-vineyard wines, and they are the greatest wines from these three parcels Guigal has produced since the fabulous vintage quintet of 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991. The opaque black-colored 1995 Cote Rotie La Landonne was singing when I tasted it. The wine reveals lower acidity than many 1995 northern Rhones, good but not excessive tannin, fabulous layers of smoky, licorice, Asian spice, and grilled meat scented and flavored fruit, enormous body, and a massive finish. It will need 3-4 years of cellaring when released; it will keep for 25+ years. Guigal still has a couple of difficult vintages to bottle, but his 1992s have turned out surprisingly strong. In addition, the 1993s are satisfying for the vintage. Following 1993 are two great vintages for Guigal - 1994 and 1995. Importer: Classic Wines, Boston, MA; tel. (818) 548-1200
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The brawny, black/purple-colored 1995 Cote Rotie La Landonne reveals the animal, sauvage side of the Syrah grape. Licorice, prune, iron, and vitamin-like aromas compete with copious quantities of black fruits and smoke in this complex, structured, muscular, massive Cote Rotie. It will require 5-6 years of cellaring, and should keep for 30+ years. Importer: Fred Ek, Ex Cellars Wine Agencies, Solvang, CA; tel. (805) 686-9153
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
One of the treats when tasting through the profound Côte Rôties made by Marcel Guigal was the opportunity to taste all of the bottled 1995's. Reviewed in previous issues, they are even better from bottle than they were during their upbringing (a characteristic of many Guigal wines). The 1995 Côte Rôtie la Landonne is the stuff of legends and is every bit as compelling as readers might expect. This single vineyard wine will have at least 2 decades of longevity.
About the Producer
In 1946, Etienne Guigal founded Château Guigal in the village of Ampuis, the winemaking heart of the Rhône. The village of Ampuis is rich in history, with vineyards that are over 2,400 years old and buildings that still date back to Roman times, and it was here that Etienne Guigal arrived in 1923 at the age of 14. He decided to devote himself to winemaking, which he did for more than 67 years. In 1961, the young Marcel Guigal took over the management of the estate from his father. Thanks to Marcel's efforts, Château Guigal began to acquire some well-known wineries and grew in strength.
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