Saint-Joseph Lieu-dit Saint-Joseph Guigal 2014

Lot presentation

Saint-Joseph Lieu-dit Saint-Joseph Guigal 2014

The wine

This white Saint-Joseph owes its name to the lieu-dit at the southern end of the village of Tournon. Its constituent Marsanne and Roussanne grapes benefited from granite subsoils and red clay soils sparsely covered with pudding stones. In the cellar, pressing is particularly slow. The white must is settled, vinified and matured on the lees in new barrels for eleven months with some regular stirring. The Gonon brothers allow the wines to undergo malolactic fermentation. Les Oliviers reveals a round, creamy palate that opens into attractive bitter notes. At the same time, notes of citrus, honey, flowers and gourmet spices deliver a particularly fresh, persistent finish. This organically certified wine deserves to be enjoyed with true gourmet dishes. Scallops or risottos with truffles would fit the bill perfectly!

Located in Ampuis, the heart of the Côte-Rôtie, Domaine Guigal was founded in 1946 by Etienne Guigal who arrived in the region in 1923 at the age of 14. Guigal has contributed enormously to putting this appellation on the map. In 1961, the young Marcel Guigal left school and took over the reins when his father was struck by sudden loss of vision. Driven by a desire to produce high quality wines, the young vigneron undeniably changed the perception of Côte-Rôtie wines. Nowadays, the brilliant oenologist Philippe Guigal – Marcel's son – is the third generation to run the estate, alongside his wife Eve.
The vineyard now also runs over to the Rhone valley's prestigious appellations of Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu, Saint-Joseph, Hermitage, Gigondas, Crozes-Hermitage. They are all vinified and matured in the cellars of Ampuis. Philippe and Eve continue to devote considerable care to all of the winemaking process: sustainable pest management (HVE-certified), entirely manual labour due to the steep slopes of the vineyards, vinification in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats, and ageing in new oak barrels for up to 42 months. The house produces three cuvées “prestige” - La Landonne, La Mouline et La Turque – a sublime trilogy which wine connoisseurs go mad for.
The headquarters of the estate is the Château d'Ampuis, a jewel of the Renaissance which is listed as a Historic Monument. The Guigal signature is one of the most emblematic of the Rhone Valley, it shines for its infallible constancy and rigorous grape production.