Côte-Rôtie Côtes Brune et Blonde Guigal 1996 (Red)

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.

The vineyard of Saint-Joseph and its "vin de Mauves" was famous in the 19th century until the tsar empire. Two sites were already legendary: the hillside of Saint-Epine and the hillside of Saint-Joseph, the current location of a plot belonging to Maison Chapoutier."Les Granits" is a 100% Syrah cuvée, made from the oldest stock of this variety, on poor and stony granite soils. The grapes are harvested by hand at very high maturity and then ferment slowly in small concrete vats. The wine is then aged in barrels for 14 to 18 months, in new containers or those which have been used for one or two wines. The Maison will only use free run wine during the process. With its beautiful deep garnet colour, Les Granits is refined and elegant, marked by candied notes (ripe black fruit) and roasting. On the palate, smoky and peppery notes emerge with aromas of liquorice on the finish. This wine is characterised by very good balance, taut tannins and it lingers remarkably well.

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