Overlooking the Rhône River with Côte-Rôtie’s terraced hills in the immediate backdrop, Château d’Ampuis is a spectacle to behold, but it was in a serious state of decline when Guigal acquired it in 1995. So, they ordered a massive team, led by Jean-Gabriel Mortamet, Chief Architect of Historic Monuments, to fully restore Château d’Ampuis back to its 12th-century glory. It took over a decade, but the payoff was huge. 

The Guigal family now owns an impressive network of 50-year-old parcels throughout the famous lieux-dits of Côte Blonde and Côte Brune, several of which were utilized to create this bottling. Each one enjoys extremely close proximity to Guigal’s famous “La La” parcels (La Mouline, La Turque, La Landonne) and it shows in the wine. 

In the cellar, fermentation occurs in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks followed by 38 months of maturation in new French barrels—the Guigals launched their very own in-house cooperage in 2003 so the barrels used for today’s cuvée were dried, built, and toasted by their own team! Upon bottling, the final blend is typically 93% Syrah, rounded out by Viognier. 

Remember, Guigal’s top wines rest for over three years in new French oak, so they always deliver powerful, spicy, silky layers with an intense ferocity lurking beneath. Use your best judgment, but I would recommend a 1-2-hour decant before slowly savoring these full-throttle Syrahs in Bordeaux stems.