Instead of robbing you of a full article today, I’ll make a concession and keep the introduction as short as possible, mainly because E. Guigal’s spectacular back-vintage gems don’t ever need them!
Today’s 2008 is mature Côte-Rôtie in all its glory: Sourced from steep parcels within a stone’s throw of their “La La” cult cuvées and matured for 38 months in brand new, tight-grained French oak, this is a master class in powerful, savory, profoundly age-worthy French Syrah. It’s also the closest one can get to experiencing their $400-$800+ La Turque, La Mouline, and/or La Landonne bottlings without shelling out nearly as much. Ultimately, this ’08 is a bonafide collector’s item, except only a few collectors will leave happy today—we hardly have any to share and purchases must be limited to four bottles per person until inventory hits zero. Good luck!
When you first sit down to learn about the Rhône Valley’s long list of venerated producers, you’ll undoubtedly see two names at the forefront: Guigal and Chapoutier. Both are family-run enterprises that purchase fruit from the valley’s greatest appellations while also maintaining their own enviable collection of vineyards. Guigal is largely synonymous with the Northern Rhône, specifically Côte-Rôtie, because their founder Etienne Guigal buried his roots here in 1924 and subsequently produced an astounding 67 consecutive vintages. Two generations have passed since then, and each has added to the empire’s fame: First, it was the acquisition of Vidal-Fleury, followed by the historic and breathtaking Château d’Ampuis, then Domaines Jean-Louis Grippat and de Vallouit. More recently, there have been several other property investments too, but today we’re focused on Château d’Ampuis.
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 origins. 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 famed lieux-dits of Côte Blonde and Côte Brune, five of which were utilized to create today’s 2008. 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 occurred in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks followed by 38 months of maturation in new, tight-grained French barrels. In fact, starting in 2003, the Guigals launched their very own in-house cooperage so all of the barrels used for today’s 2008 were dried, built, and toasted by their own team! Upon bottling, the final blend was 93% Syrah, rounded out by Viognier.
Massive temperature swings and copious rainfall resulted in a 2008 vintage which caused many producers to struggle. Not Guigal. Check the reviews: Across the board, their ’08 Côte-Rôties are superb efforts and today’s is the most affordable one in their premium lineup—by a longshot. Although quantities were far too limited for us to open a bottle, I have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to tasting Guigal Côte-Rôties with 10+ years of maturation and I expect this to be firing. Remember, their 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. On top of sleek berry fruit, roasted plum, and sappy cherries, secondaries are probably making their way into the fold now so be prepared to expect cracked pepper, leather, dried olive, bacon fat, and garrigue with a smoky, cacao-like edge. Use your best judgment, but I would recommend no less than a 60-minute decant before slowly savoring this beautiful Syrah beast in Bordeaux stems. Enjoy.
