Wine Advisor
Etienne Guigal, Cote Rotie La Turque 1995
View analysis
Description
Côte-Rôtie "La Turque" is one of the flagship of the Domaine GUIGAL. A powerful wine with spicy notes, its terroirs from côte brune with “blond accents” lends it a great elegance.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Deep ruby-red. Powerful, expressive aromas of roasted cherry and raspberry, marzipan, brown spices and grilled nuts. Ripe, creamy and lush, with seamless cherry and pepper fruit. Not quite as expressive today on the palate as the above. But here the tannins seem even finer, though this wine is not longer than the Mouline.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Griotte and kirsch complicated by roast coffee, smoke, mocha and a whiff of game; complex and ineffable. Lush, sweet and very intensely flavored; sappy cherry flavor complicated by a peppery quality. Seems a bit higher in acidity than Guigal's '95 La Mouline, and the tannins are distinctly firmer. Again, quite explosive on the aftertaste.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1995 La Turque is prodigious. It is sweet, dense, complete, and exotic, even eclipsing La Mouline for pure decadence in its smoky, jammy, blackcurrant, and raspberry-scented nose. Unctuously textured, with surprising balance for a wine of such size and concentration, the 1995 La Turque is a tour de force in winemaking. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2018. 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. I thought the 1995 Cote Rotie La Mouline and 1995 Cote Rotie La Turque to be perfect wines. Both have put on considerable weight since I tasted them last year, and they have developed a magnificently compelling perfume of black fruits, floral scents, and in the case of La Mouline, exotic, overripe tropical fruit in addition to coconut. The 1995 La Turque is the most exotic of the single vineyard cuvees, rivaling La Mouline for its luxuriant levels of smoky, jammy, black currant and raspberry fruit. The amazing thing about all of these wines is that they spend 42 months in 100% new oak casks, yet they soak up the wood like a sponge, leaving only a subtle element of wood. La Turque hits the palate with unctuous texture, layers of fruit, and, as my notes read, "it doesn't get any better than this." Words just cannot do justice to such an extraordinarily profound effort. Given its forward showing, this wine, which will be bottled in February, 1998, should drink well when released, and last for two decades. 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. At this stage, the most prodigious of these three mind-boggling wines is the 1995 Cote Rotie La Turque. It is the sweetest, densest, most complete, and the most exotic, even eclipsing La Mouline for pure decadence in its smoky, jammy, blackcurrant, and raspberry-scented nose. Unctuously-textured, with surprising balance for a wine of such size and concentration, the 1995 La Turque is a tour de force in winemaking. As is so often the case, these three limited production wines (approximately 400-800 cases of each) are reference point wines. And yet, there are really no secrets to their greatness - low yields, physiologically ripe fruit, and non-interventionalistic winemaking. 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 1995 Cote Rotie La Turque (about 7% Viognier in the blend) possesses a dense ruby/purple color, and roasted herb, olive, and Asian spice characteristics. It exhibits exceptional concentration and is velvety and concentrated. The fabulous 1995 La Turque is a virtually perfect wine with flamboyance, harmony, and remarkable opulence and length. It should drink well when released, and last for two decades. 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 Turque 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.
1986(1)1987(1)1990(1)1993(1)
Package Size
