Côte-Rôtie La Turque 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.

La Turque is the youngest and rarest of the three Côte-Rôtie cuvées from Guigal. As the only vineyard in the appellation to benefit from constant sunshine, La Turque is harvested as late as possible in order to obtain perfectly mature grapes. Once the vinification is complete, the wine is matured in new barrique barrels for 40 months. With its ruby ​​red colour and dark reflections, the wine reveals powerful, delicate aromas of sour cherry, blackberry and oriental spices. While one the one hand possessing the virility of the Côte Brune, La Turque also has the subtlety and feminine accents of the Côte Blonde. This extraordinarily rich wine, often delicious in its youth, has significant keeping potential, enabling it to develop a majestic creaminess.

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