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Cotes du Rhone Rouge Guigal 2017

Red Wine from France - Rhone
3.846153700 star rating 13 Reviews
Cotes du Rhone Rouge Guigal 2017
is no longer available
Code: RH57501

Wine characteristics

  • Red Wine
  • Full-bodied
  • Grenache Syrah
  • Now to 2026
  • 14.5% Alcohol
  • no oak influence
  • Cork, natural
  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan

Southern Rhône (excluding Chateauneuf)

Producing over 3.5m hl (hectolitres), this is the second biggest region for production of appellation contrôlée wine in France after Bordeaux. Most is red, though production of both white and pink is growing. Some 20 grape varieties are planted in the south though one in particular, Grenache, gives the region as a whole its identity: generosity, body, weight and a definite tendency to making big wines. More than half of the production is of Côtes-du-Rhône with the best sold as Côtes-du-Rhône Villages. Better still are the so-called crus led by Châteauneuf-du-Pape itself.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape: This large area to the north of Avignon makes the best wines of the south. Reds tend to be grenache based with syrah, mourvèdre and counoise also used. Few wines combine immense strength with perfect elegance quite so convincingly. Word of caution: Châteauneuf produces as much wine as the whole of the northern Rhône put together. A third is very good, a third acceptable and the last third,...
Producing over 3.5m hl (hectolitres), this is the second biggest region for production of appellation contrôlée wine in France after Bordeaux. Most is red, though production of both white and pink is growing. Some 20 grape varieties are planted in the south though one in particular, Grenache, gives the region as a whole its identity: generosity, body, weight and a definite tendency to making big wines. More than half of the production is of Côtes-du-Rhône with the best sold as Côtes-du-Rhône Villages. Better still are the so-called crus led by Châteauneuf-du-Pape itself.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape: This large area to the north of Avignon makes the best wines of the south. Reds tend to be grenache based with syrah, mourvèdre and counoise also used. Few wines combine immense strength with perfect elegance quite so convincingly. Word of caution: Châteauneuf produces as much wine as the whole of the northern Rhône put together. A third is very good, a third acceptable and the last third, undrinkable.

Right bank: Villages include Tavel (rosé only) Lirac, Saint-Gervais and Laudun. There is more rain here but it is also hot and grapes are therefore early ripening. Most of the area lies in the département of the Gard and stretches from the river westwards towards Nîmes where at some ill-defined line in the soil, the Rhône becomes the Languedoc. This is an area that has much improved over the years and has become a valuable source for very fine, concentrated syrah wines in particular.

A little further on are the Costieres de Nimes, a large area of upland plateau, south-east of Nîmes. For the moment the Costières produces good everyday wines of good quality but there is potential to do much more.

Northern hills: There are fresh sub-alpine breezes at work here and as a result the wines often have a distinct freshness too. Just north of Orange is the largely wooded and isolated Massif d'Uchaux. Many of its star producers here are able to farm organically.

The three 'Vs' : Valréas, Visan and Vinsobres: These are three top neighbouring villages (with a 4th, Saint-Maurice broadly similar to Vinsobres). Vinsobres has full cru status and makes superb wine. Best names include Perrin, now the largest land owner and Domaine Jaume whose wines have been charming members since the 1979 vintage.

Valréas and Visan are planted on the same hill but tend to look north. Emmanuel Bouchard is one of the top names in Valréas. Adrien Fabre makes both outstanding examples of both Visan and Saint-Maurice.

Tricastin/Grignan-lès-Adhémar - The Tricastin is a much neglected part of the Rhône and coming down from the northern Rhône, these are the first vines one sees. It's a relatively cool area, far too cold for growing mourvèdre successfully, but the whites do very well and so does the syrah grape. The area has seen a name change as Tricastin is also the name of a power station on the river. The new name for the wines (which doesn't exactly trip off the tongue), is Grignan-lès-Adhémar.

Central hills - This includes the villages of Cairanne and Rasteau along with neighbouring Roaix. Big full-bodied wines, grenache dominated. Rasteau is all power and might while Cairanne is more deicate.

Plan de Dieu - Large flat expanse of pudding stones that seem to stretch as far as the eye can see, in the middle of which there is an airfield, (largely built for the Luftwaffe) surrounded by vines. Full-bodied style. Excellent for mourvèdre. Jaboulet are very good here as is the Meffre family.

Eastern fringes - Set against an iconic landscape with Mont Ventoux and the craggy Dentelles de Montmirail as the backdrop, some of these hillsides were first planted by the Romans and include some of the best-known names in the Rhône Valley.

Gigondas: Mountain wine, late harvested, always dramatic and very full-bodied though never coarse or overweight. These are generous reds, capable of long ageing. A little rosé is also made.

Vacqueyras: Next door to Gigondas yet different. Fruitier, a shade less powerful and more obviously charming:

Beaumes de Venise: The red is as full as Gigondas but rounder and less complex and this village is better known for its sweet muscat, a vin doux naturel and perfect for desserts.

Ventoux: At nearly 2000m this is some mountain which scores of cyclists are forced to conquer every year in the Tour de France. Its lower slopes are vineyard country though. Traditionally these were known as Côtes du Ventoux and were made and sold cheaply. Things are changing though with more estates cutting yields and making full and concentrated wine, not dissimilar to and better value than many Châteauneufs.
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E. Guigal

Guigal’s is an extraordinary story of not-quite-rags to riches. Etienne Guigal joined Vidal-Fleury as a humble cellar hand in 1927 and rose to the position of cellar master. In 1946 he left Vidal-Fleury to start in business on his own account and this was quietly successful until his son Marcel joined in 1961. The company then quite simply took off in the most astonishing way. Just before Etienne died in 1988, Guigal bought Vidal-Fleury, thus completing the circle. More recent acquisitions have included Domaine de Vallouit which gave Guigal more land in Cote Rôtie and then Jean-Louis Grippat which suddenly made Guigal important owners in Hermitage as well. In 1995, Guigal bought the ramshackle Château d’Ampuis, just outside René Rostaing’s front door and renovated it with no expense spared. The success of Guigal is founded on extremely hard work and immense skill in the cellar combined with flair and marketing genius. These days Marcel Guigal is often to be found in Paris on French appellation controlée business for the Ministry of Agriculture, in which he is deeply involved. Fortunately, his son Philippe is in every way as brilliant as his father .

At the heart of Guigal are the appellations of Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu where the company was at one time responsible for about a third of production. Indeed, Guigal resurrected both appellations, especially Condrieu which had almost disappeared. If the Guigal profile seems to be less important here nowadays, it is only because...
Guigal’s is an extraordinary story of not-quite-rags to riches. Etienne Guigal joined Vidal-Fleury as a humble cellar hand in 1927 and rose to the position of cellar master. In 1946 he left Vidal-Fleury to start in business on his own account and this was quietly successful until his son Marcel joined in 1961. The company then quite simply took off in the most astonishing way. Just before Etienne died in 1988, Guigal bought Vidal-Fleury, thus completing the circle. More recent acquisitions have included Domaine de Vallouit which gave Guigal more land in Cote Rôtie and then Jean-Louis Grippat which suddenly made Guigal important owners in Hermitage as well. In 1995, Guigal bought the ramshackle Château d’Ampuis, just outside René Rostaing’s front door and renovated it with no expense spared. The success of Guigal is founded on extremely hard work and immense skill in the cellar combined with flair and marketing genius. These days Marcel Guigal is often to be found in Paris on French appellation controlée business for the Ministry of Agriculture, in which he is deeply involved. Fortunately, his son Philippe is in every way as brilliant as his father .

At the heart of Guigal are the appellations of Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu where the company was at one time responsible for about a third of production. Indeed, Guigal resurrected both appellations, especially Condrieu which had almost disappeared. If the Guigal profile seems to be less important here nowadays, it is only because of the increase in the number of growers making and selling their own wine. Guigal also started the notion of single vineyard Côte-Rôtie bottling wine from his three iconic sites, La Landonne, La Mouline and La Turque under their own names. These are now among the most sought after wines in the world.

Guigal’s genius in the cellar is in the élévage process, the way in which he raises the wines in barrel. Every vintage brings a new challenge to maintain the consistency of the Guigal style and this he does with a cleverly-managed combination of old and new oak. The reds are kept up to three years in barrel for good measure. What emerges is a richly textured style, underlying individual wines of true beauty.

Recent years have seen expansion and, as a result, a huge programme of investment in new cellars in Ampuis. Though best known for reds and Côte-Rôtie in particular, Guigal’s most recent focus has been on white wines, particularly viognier, the great grape of Condrieu and as a major element in Guigal’s very good white Côtes-du-Rhône.
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Southern Rhône Vintage 2017

The grenache crop was small in 2017 so expect most blends
to rely more on other grapes such as syrah and mourvèdre.
The harvest was long: it began in August for the whites and went
well into October for the grenache. Remarkably, one famous
Châteauneuf estate was still picking in november! The challenge for the grenache grape was to pick it fully ripe. That meant plenty of work in the vineyard. So not surprisingly, the best wines come from the hardest and most diligent growers.

There were great results from everywhere but buyer Marcel Orford-Williams I especially loved wines from those areas that harvest late such as Gigondas and Vinsobres. There are stunning results here.

Southern whites prioritised certain grape varieties such as picpoul, clairette and bourboulenc which steer away from corpulence. The best wines exude aroma and have a beguiling, juicy richness about them.

Rotherham and South Yorkshire Advertiser

A blend of syrah, grenache, mourvedre from a great vintage, rich and ripe.

David Clay

Sunday Express

Straightforward Côtes du Rhône, but by no means ordinary. Coming from the southern part of the region, [this] is a class act, from an enormously experienced producer. The tasting note from...
Straightforward Côtes du Rhône, but by no means ordinary. Coming from the southern part of the region, [this] is a class act, from an enormously experienced producer. The tasting note from The Wine Society says it all: "Exudes class, richness, and concentration of flavour, from an outstanding  Rhône vintage. Full-bodied, richly textured, ripe and long with more than a hint of spice." Pair with sage and onion stuffed roast chicken, honey glazed duck breast, Cumberland pork sausages or freshly baked steak and kidney pie.
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- Richard Esling

France Magazine

This wine is a stalwart of the Guigal business, having been made for nearly 70 years. Aromas of fresh raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries are supplemented with hints of spice and supple ,...
This wine is a stalwart of the Guigal business, having been made for nearly 70 years. Aromas of fresh raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries are supplemented with hints of spice and supple , sweetly ripe round tannins, that hold frame for the ready volume of soft-berried summer fruit flavours in this full-bodied wine. It's a classic southern Rhone blend comprising syrah, grenache noir and mourvedre. Drink with simple bangers and mash.
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- Sally Easton

2016 vintage reviews
2015 vintage reviews

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