Côte-Rôtie Cuvée Hommage à Etienne Guigal Guigal 1989

Lot presentation

Côte-Rôtie Cuvée Hommage à Etienne Guigal Guigal 1989

The wine

Unique of its kind, and boasting a quality fully comparable to that of the Château d'Ampuis, the Hommage à Etienne Guigal cuvée is the result of a blend from two parcels: Côte Brune La Pommière (the first vines worked by Etienne Guigal at the age of 14), and "La Viria", a new plantation bordering on the Landonne. This very steep vineyard (about 50°), which produces high-quality wines, has been incorporated into the Côte-Rôtie Château d'Ampuis blend as of the 2005 vintage.The ultra-rare Hommage à Etienne Guigal cuvée has so far been produced only three times: in 1989, the year following the death of Etienne Guigal; in 1990 – this cuvée was served on the occasion of the awarding of the Légion d'Honneur to Marcel Guigal – and in 2005, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the creation of the Côte-Rôtie Château d'Ampuis cuvée. Produced only in magnum format and not available for sale, this wine is matured in new oak barrels for 30 months.

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.