Saint-Joseph Lieu-dit Saint-Joseph Guigal 2008 (White)

Located in Ampuis, the cradle of the Côte-Rôtie, Domaine Guigal was founded in 1946 by Etienne Guigal. Guigal has contributed enormously to putting this appellation on the map, an appellation that was nearly lost to the phylloxera crisis at the close of the 19th century, the economic crisis of 1929 and the the two World Wars. In 1961, the young Marcel Guigal took over the reins. Driven by a desire to produce high quality wines, this young vigneron undeniably changed the perception of Côte-Rôtie wines. Nowadays, the brilliant enologist Philippe Guigal – son of Marcel – runs the domain. The house produces three cuvées “prestige” - La Landonne, La Mouline et La Turque – a sublime trilogy which wine connoisseurs go mad for. 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. Marel Guigal and his son Philippe continue to devote considerable care to all of the winemaking process: low-intervention viticulture, work done entirely by hand, given the parcel's situation on a 45 degree slope, vinification in temperature-controlled, stainless steel vats, élevage in new oak barrels for 42 months, to allow the wine to fully develop its aromas etc. The headquarters of the domain 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.

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!

Consult price estimate for: Guigal