Wine Advisor
Etienne Guigal, Cote Rotie La Landonne 1996
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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 great glories of this house are its Cote Roties, of which there are now five separate offerings. Tasting through the 1996 Cote Roties offers convincing proof that Guigal's extremely late harvest (which was completed during the third week of October) has paid off, resulting in wines with good acidity, but not the searing tartness that is noticeable in some cellars. The 1996 Cote Rotie La Landonne is the least impressive 1996 at this early stage. There are two cuvees; one I rated 88-90 and the other 94-96. They will be blended together prior to bottling, but the lesser cuvee displayed a distinct green pepper, vegetal component that seemed totally at odds with the other Guigal Cote Roties. The second cuvee was terrific stuff - rich and ripe, with plenty of grilled meat and cassis aromas and flavors, as well as full body, awesome power, and high tannin. This should turn out to be a 90-point wine, but at this stage, it appears to be the least successful of the 1996 Guigal Cote Roties. Fortunately, readers will not have to make a decision on these wines for three more years, and additional tasting notes should further pinpoint their level of quality. 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. Guigal's impression of the 1996 vintage is that it was significantly more successful in the north than the south, but one of the characteristics in both northern and southern Rhone wines is high acidity - in both white and red wine cuvees. Importer: Classic Wines, Boston, MA; tel. (617) 731-6644
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Consistent with previous tastings, the 1996 Cote Rotie La Landonne is a backward wine. It is extremely tannic and closed with saturated color, noticeable acidity, and a subdued roasted herb, sausage and smoked meat character. While this will be an impressive wine, it will require 5-7 years of cellaring upon release. It should keep for 25 years. Importer: Fred Ek, Ex Cellars Wine Agencies, Solvang, CA; tel. (805) 686-9153
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1996 Cote Rotie La Landonne is a wine with tremendous intensity and tannin, as well as a pronounced roasted herb, smoked meat, and Asian spice-scented nose with tell-tale black fruits, melted tar, and truffle notions in the background. Rich, powerful, and massive, this effort will require 3-4 years of cellaring, and will last for two decades. Importer: Fred Ek, Ex Cellars Wine Agencies, Solvang, CA; tel. (805) 686-9153
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1996 Cote Rotie La Landonne was herbaceous early in life, but is now revealing a black olive/tapenade, melted asphalt character in its smoky, earthy, animal, blackberry, leathery fruit. A masculine, full-bodied offering, with more tannin, it will be drinkable relatively soon. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2018. Importer: Fred Ek, Ex Cellars Wine Agencies, Solvang, CA; tel. (805) 686-9153
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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