France · Rhone · Southern Rhône · Cote du Rhone Rosé · Still · wine-wine · 1113127
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| Price / case | Vintage | Packing | Qty | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60.00 GBP | 2020 | 6 x 75cl | 1 | uk / United Kingdom |
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| Vintage | Packing | Offers | Bids | Market price | WA rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 6 x 75cl | 1 | 0 |
Rating: 88 –88
Guigal's 2020 Cotes du Rhone Rose is a blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Cinsault and 10% Syrah. Pale flamingo-pink in. hue, with just the faintest shadings of copper, it's medium to full-bodied, delivering notes of strawberry, cherry, peach and melon. While it doesn't show much complexity beyond the fruity nuances, it's a pleasing, fleshy wine that still provides a good deal of refreshment on the mouthwatering finish.
Rating: 89 –89
An attractive medium-flamingo pink with copper hints, Guigal's 2019 Cotes du Rhone Rose remains fresh and fruity even close to a year after its release. Strawberry and watermelon notes lead the way, and there are attractive herbal and citrus nuances in this medium-bodied, crisp rosé. I wouldn't suggest keeping it another full year, but it is reassuring to know the stuff doesn't go off a cliff.
Rating: 90 –90
One of the best rosés is Guigal's 2014 Cotes du Rhone Rose, which checks in as a blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Cinsault and 10% Syrah. Sporting a lighter raspberry color (this cuvee normally has a slightly darker color), it gives up lots of sweet cherry, strawberry, honeysuckle and Provencal herb characteristics to go with a medium-bodied, rounded, beautifully supple and textured feel on the palate. This is a classic Cotes du Rhone that has both freshness and texture. Drink it over the coming 12-16 months.
Rating: 89 –89
Also made in a richer style, the 2015 Côtes du Rhône Rosé gives up plenty of spiced cherry, strawberry and floral notes in a medium-bodied, nicely-textured style. It’s a perfect way to start an evening and will keep for a year.
Rating: 90 –90
The 2016 Cotes du Rhone Rose is another fine example of this wine. From a top-notch vintage, it bursts with red berries and citrus fruit, exuding freshness and life. Drink this silky-textured, medium-bodied lovely over the next several months—it's one of the few Guigal wines that doesn't receive extended élevage or particularly reward aging.
Rating: 88 –88
Like most rosés, Guigal's has seen growth over the past couple of years, and production of the 2017 Cotes du Rhone Rose was close to one million bottles, according to Philippe Guigal. It's a medium-bodied, plump and silky-textured rosé, with bright aromas of strawberries coupled with hints of peach and melon on the palate and finishes with good freshness. Drink up, as the 2018 is expected to be in the United States by February.
Rating: 90 –90
Guigal's plump, medium-bodied 2018 Cotes du Rhone Rose is a reminder that this family firm continues to value flavor throughout its lineup. Hints of strawberries, white peach and melon join with citrus to make a bold impression yet one that's not inelegant, finishing long and silky.
Rating: 89 –89
Guigal’s roses are also very strong efforts, but they tend to disappear from retailers’ shelves as quickly as they are released. The 2010 Cotes du Rhone Rose exhibits copious aromas of strawberries and cherries, a medium pink color, crisp acids and an elegant, mineral-like character. The next issue will cover Guigal’s brilliant northern Rhone wines, but the seriousness and impeccable attention to detail is noticeable with these southern Rhone selections for which he buys finished wines and blends them together. As I have written many times, the Guigals should offer a class in the brilliance of a wine’s elevage (meaning its upbringing in the cellars). I have visited this firm for over three decades, and it is always remarkable how the quality of the wines improves consistently in the different vessels in which it is aged right through and after bottling. The Guigals have long recognized that most people will never have a chance to taste the monumental, world-class Cote Roties, Hermitages and Condrieus they produce, but most consumers should be able to find their humble, inexpensive Cotes du Rhones. They have always made a delicious red Cotes du Rhone, but the quality of their white Cotes du Rhones has soared over recent vintages. Sooner or later (and I would bet it will be sooner) the Guigals will purchase a large estate in Chateauneuf du Pape. Both Philippe and Marcel agree there are three truly magnificent appellations in the entire Rhone Valley – Cote Rotie, Hermitage and Chateauneuf du Pape. The latter is the only one where they do not own their own vineyards and they are aggressively seeking an estate to purchase. Normally a blend of 85% Grenache and the rest equal parts Syrah, Mourvedre and miscellaneous grapes, their Chateauneuf du Pape is aged completely in foudre for a number of years before being bottled. The two recent vintages look to be sensational and should come close to matching their finest Chateauneuf du Pape in over three decades, the 2007. Importer: Vintus Wines, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (914) 769-3000
Rating: 86 –86
Readers should not overlook Guigal’s rose offerings. The excellent 2011 Cotes du Rhone Rose offers strawberry color, framboise notes, medium body and fresh acidity. The Guigal family may be the modern world’s greatest testament to a family-run winery with impeccably high standards, integrity and an uncompromising vision of the future. They continue to push the envelope of quality to greater and greater heights. Marcel Guigal learned it all from his father, Etienne, a legend in the Northern Rhone. Over my three decade plus career, it has been a noteworthy story to watch Marcel’s son, Philippe, take full responsibility for the future direction of this incredible enterprise, if not empire. I have almost unlimited admiration for the Guigals and their ability to produce millions of bottles of inexpensive Cotes du Rhones that are among the finest of the entire Rhone Valley, as well as their portfolio of exquisite whites, reds and roses from the most prestigious appellations in the Rhone. After more than three decades of tasting here, I never cease to be amazed by what they accomplish. I have said this many, many times, but it bears repeating – the magic of the Guigals is not only due to having some extraordinary vineyards in St.-Joseph, Hermitage, Cote Rotie and Condrieu, but also the ability to pay the highest price for purchased grapes and/or wine from which they fashion remarkable blends. The importance of a wine’s upbringing (or, as the French call it, elevage) is the key to understanding the entire Guigal locomotive. No one does it better; no one has done it longer; and no one seems to have the Midas touch for putting the wines in the bottle at precisely the right moment to capture the essence of a wine before it begins to fade or lose its vibrancy. This may sound easy, but to date, no one comes remotely close to what the Guigals consistently do across all fields of play. About a decade ago, Guigal’s white wines began to take on an amazing level of quality and the family continues to augment and increase that quality. Their Cotes du Rhone Blanc, usually a blend of two-thirds Viognier and the rest Clairette and Bourboulenc, has become a reference point for what amazing value and high quality can be achieved in a completely naked, expressive wine. Guigal produces approximately 40% of all the Condrieu made, and he continues to add some exquisite terroirs to his portfolio. For example, he recently bought the vineyard owned by Alain Parent and Gerard Depardieu, Lys de Volant. Guigal can produce two cuvees of white Hermitage, their regular blend of 90% Marsanne and 10% Roussanne, and, in exceptional vintages, a luxury cuvee called Ex-Voto, which is approximately 80% Marsanne and 20% Roussanne. It spends more time in small new oak than the regular cuvee. From the Northern Rhone, Guigal’s finest values are his Crozes-Hermitage and his lower level cuvees of St.-Joseph, all of which are 100% Syrah. The Crozes-Hermitage comes from hillside vineyards and the St.-Joseph comes from hillsides with decomposed granite soils that are commonplace in the northern half of that sprawling appellation. With the purchase of the estates of Jean-Louis Grippat as well as the holdings of De Vallouit, Guigal increased his estate vineyards in Hermitage. A basic Hermitage cuvee is produced each year, and in the top vintages, a luxury cuvee called Ex-Voto is made. Guigal now owns vineyards in the famed lieux-dits of Les Bessards, Dionnieres, l’Ermite and Le Meal. The regular Hermitage is generally aged for up to three years in small oak casks, about 50% new. When declared, the Ex-Voto is given the same 42 months in 100% new French oak as his three single vineyard Cote Roties (La Mouline, La Landonne and La Turque). The Ex-Voto is a blend of fruit from Les Bessards (40%), Les Greffieux (40%) and Les Murets (20%). Guigal produces approximately 300,000 bottles each year of his Cote Rotie Brune et Blonde. We started with the 2008, probably the second worst vintage in the Northern Rhone (2002 being the worst in the last decade). Not a single vineyard wine, but a prodigious Cote Rotie is Guigal’s Cote Rotie Chateau d’Ampuis. Marcel Guigal’s son, Philippe, lives at this estate with his wife and children, and this is also where they cooper their wood barrels made from staves that are air-dried a minimum of three years. This cuvee is always a blend of some of the finest parcels on the hillsides of Cote Rotie, including La Garde, Le Clos, Grande-Plantee, Pommiere, Pavillon, Le Moulin and La Viria. It is aged 38 months in 100% new French oak, and around 2,000 cases are produced in most vintages. The three single vineyard Cote Roties are consistently among the world’s greatest wines. I often find La Mouline to be a so-called “desert island” wine as it was in vintages such as 1978, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2009. La Mouline is made from the oldest vines and is vinified differently than the other single vineyard cuvees, utilizing pump-over techniques as opposed to punching down (La Turque) or immersed cap (La Landonne). To reiterate, the Cote Rotie La Turque comes from the Cote Brune and its upbringing is the same as La Mouline’s, aged 42 months in 100% new French oak, co-fermented with 5-7% Viognier, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. It comes from younger vines as the first vintage was 1985 and that remarkable wine was made from 3-year-old vines (which puts a kink in the French myth that old vines are always the best). As I previously indicated, La Turque is vinified by punching down as opposed to pumping over or the immersed cap fermentation of La Landonne. The third of these prodigious Cote Roties, La Landonne, comes from the Cote Brune. Unlike its siblings, it is 100% Syrah that receives the same upbringing, 42 months in 100% new French oak and bottling with no fining or filtration. The other luxury cuvee, although not a single vineyard wine, is the Hermitage Ex-Voto, which is aged 42 months in 100% new oak and bottled unfined and unfiltered. It is always fashioned from Les Bessards (40%), Les Greffieux (40%), Les Murets (10%) and l’Ermite (10%). The Gigondas and Chateauneuf du Pape produced by Guigal are often excellent, even outstanding wines that sell for a fraction of the price asked for his luxury cuvees of Cote Rotie, Hermitage, Condrieu and St.-Joseph. Guigal’s Gigondas spends around 24-25 months in wood foudres, and includes a great deal of Mourvedre in the blend. The Chateauneuf du Pape, which comes from purchased wine, is aged two years in foudre prior to release. Guigal normally includes a minimum of 10% Mourvedre in the blend, with the balance old vine Grenache. As I have said many times, one of these days the Guigals will purchase a famous estate in Chateauneuf du Pape because Marcel’s father, Etienne, had always said the three greatest appellations of the Rhone Valley were Cote Rotie, Hermitage and Chateauneuf du Pape (few people would disagree). Importer: Vintus Wines, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (914) 769-3000
Rating: 87 –87
The 2004 Cotes du Rhone rose offers hints of framboise, cherries, and garrigue. It is best consumed before the end of 2006. Marcel and Philippe Guigal, never content to rest on their already impressive credentials, announced that in the future, they expect to release another single vineyard Cote Rotie from a 3.7 acre parcel in the Viria vineyard on the Cote Brune. The first vintage or two will probably be added to the Chateau d’Ampuis. If the potential turns out to be as exceptional as they believe, lovers of these great wines will have a fourth single vineyard Cote Rotie called Viria to contemplate. There are many admirable things about Marcel Guigal, but most significant is that he has been a qualitative locomotive that has brought attention to the Rhone Valley, and has raised the quality bar for the entire region. More importantly, he realizes that most consumers will have access only to his least expensive wines from the Cotes du Rhone, so he has made every effort to continue to increase the quality of both his white and red Cotes du Rhones. His Cotes du Rhone whites have jumped in quality as he has settled on a general blend of approximately 50% Viognier and the rest Roussanne, Marsanne, Clairette, Bourboulenc, and Grenache Blanc. Importer: Fred Ek and Patrick Will, Ex Cellars Wine Agencies, Solvang, CA; tel. (805) 686-9153
Rating: 87 –87
The 2005 Cotes du Rhone Rose offers abundant quantities of strawberry and framboise-like fruit in a medium-bodied, dry, crisp, pleasant style. This cuvee is bottled and released later and thus tends to age nicely for several years. this wine tends to be primarily Grenache and some Syrah. If readers can still find any, 2003 was a very strong vintage for Guigal, with the 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape meriting a solid 90 points. It is a slightly more tannic version than the 2004, with more meat, kirsch, and body. I also thought the 2003 Gigondas (89) was better than the 2004. You can’t go wrong with the 2003 Cotes du Rhone (88) as it offers loads of berry fruit. Guigal, who also owns fabulous vineyards in the Northern Rhone, is a superb blender when it comes to his Southern Rhones. He is turning out enormous quantities of high quality Cotes du Rhone reds, whites, and roses as well as fine Chateauneuf du Papes, Gigondas, and a terrific rose from Tavel. Importer: Fred Ek and Patrick Will, Ex Cellars Wine Agencies, Solvang, CA; tel. (805) 686-9153
Rating: 87 –87
The light salmon-colored 1999 Cotes du Rhone rose exhibits excellent fraises des bois fruit, soft body, and fine purity. Importer: Fred Ek, Ex Cellars Wine Agencies, Solvang, CA; tel. (805) 686-9153
Rating: 87 –87
The quality of Guigal's roses is also impressive. The excellent, fresh, medium-bodied 2000 Cotes du Rhone Rose offers a medium strawberry color as well as a delicious perfume of framboise and cherries. Consume this fun rose before summer, 2002. Importer: Fred Ek and Patrick Will, Ex Cellars Wine Agencies, Solvang, CA; tel. (805) 686-9153
Rating: 88 –88
The 2003 Cotes du Rhone rose is a serious, dry, medium-bodied rose offering a copper hue along with plenty of framboise, cherry, pepper, and spice box notes. Importer: Fred Ek and Patrick Will, Ex Cellars Wine Agencies, Solvang, CA; tel. (805) 686-9153
Rating: 86 –86
Two wines that often get ignored in the portfolio of riches that emerge from the Guigal cellars are the two rose cuvees. The 1995 Cotes du Rhone Rose is a crisp, elegant, framboise-scented wine with a delicate personality, light to medium body, a lovely freshness, and a crisp, fruity finish. Drink this dry, delicious rose at summertime picnics and barbecues. This wine was tasted between June 1 and June 16, 1996. Importer: Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA; tel. (617) 731-6644
Rating: 86 –86
Guigal continues to fashion attractive rose wines from both the Cotes du Rhone and Tavel appellations. The best buy is generally the Cotes du Rhone rose. The 1996 is a dry, austere, textbook southern France rose offering up aromas of fresh strawberries and framboise, and finishes without any sweetness or flabbiness. 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
Rating: 87 –87
A consistently fine wine that rarely receives the credit it deserves is Guigal's Cotes du Rhone rose. The delicious 1997 Cotes du Rhone rose is a strawberry and cherry-scented wine with surprising body, gobs of fruit, and excellent purity and character. It should drink well for another year. Importer: Fred Ek, Ex Cellars Wine Agencies, Solvang, CA; tel. (805) 686-9153