Côte-Rôtie Château d'Ampuis Guigal 2005

Lot presentation

Côte-Rôtie Château d'Ampuis Guigal 2005

The wine

Produced since the 1995 vintage, the Château d'Ampuis cuvée is named after a property acquired and renovated by Marcel Guigal. One of Guigal's "Treasures", it comes from vineyards with an average age of 35 to 40 years, located in seven exceptional Côte-Rôtie terroirs. Harvesting is as late as possible, followed by a period of fermentation in stainless steel tanks, then a 38-month élevage in new oak barrels. Château d'Ampuis has a dark, very deep colour. This tannic, racy wine develops aromas of spices and small red berries on the nose, followed by flavours of prune, blackberry and vanilla. Excellent fullness; it is clear the tannins have been well integrated during their élevage.

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.