Guigal is the pioneer of "single vineyards" in Côte Rôtie. From its three most famous vineyards "La Landonne", "La Mouline" and "La Turque" come the most sought after and famous wines in the world. The Guigal story starts in 1924, when Etienne Guigal at the age of 14 started working in the cellars of Vidal Fleury. By 1946 he had been cellar master for some time and thought it was time to set up his own company in Ampuis, located in the heart of the Côte Rôtie appellation. In 1961, son Marcel joins the company. He is currently in charge of Guigal and his son Philippe, 3rd generation, is responsible for the wine production process. Guigal makes "simple" winemaking genius. They work completely organically in the vineyards, have low yields and there is no intervention in the cellars. In short, we work with respect for nature and passion for wine. Besides the "La, La, La" wines, Côte Rôtie "Château d'Ampuis", Condrieu "La Doriane" and the L'Ermitage "Ex Voto" are some of the crown jewels of the domain.

This mixed case called the Guigal 2013 LALALA is a mixed case containing 3 bottles of their absolute cult wine and high ends namely:

1 bottle - 2013 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline 1 bottle - 2013 Guigal Cote Rotie La Landonne 1 bottle - 2013 Guigal Cote Rotie La Turque

The wine comes in an original wooden box from Guigal.

Rating
(95 - 98)

The 2013 Cote Rotie la Mouline plays beautifully in the vintage and should wind up being in the top handful of wines made that year. Full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it shows the higher acidity of the vintage, yet possesses terrific ripeness in its black fruits, vanilla bean, violets and black peppery-laced bouquet. As always, it incorporates a massive 11% Viognier and will spend a full four years in oak before bottling.

One of the highlight tastings during my two weeks spent working in the northern Rhône was with Philippe and Marcel Guigal, who in this critic's opinion, consistently fashion some of the greatest wines in the world. Looking at the 2011 Côte Rôties, which were bottled earlier this year, these are gorgeous wines that show the perfumed, sexy nature of the vintage; yet, they have more density, concentration and depth than just about every other wine from the vintage. Marcel characterized the vintage as charming and elegant, and while they're insanely good even today, they'll evolve gracefully and have broad drink windows. The 2012s should be bottled next year and this is another terrific vintage at this estate, which shouldn't be a shock to anyone who follows the estate. The wines are already expressive, yet have more fat and texture than the 2011s, although maybe not the same level of focus or length. I suspect this is another vintage that will show nicely on release next year and age gracefully, with broad drink windows. The 2013s, in contrast, are inky, masculine, structured and not very much fun to taste at the moment. The extended elevage will help, but these will certainly be longer term prospects that will demand cellaring.

Rating
(97 - 99)

The inky black-colored 2013 Côte Rôtie La Landonne is certainly one of the gems in the vintage, and it has more texture, depth and richness than just about every other wine out there. Charred fruits, black, black fruits, espresso, crushed rock and wood smoke all emerge from this full-bodied, concentrated Côte Rôtie that certainly shows a masculine style, yet still possesses incredible purity and elegance.

As always, my visit with Marcel and Philippe Guigal is one of the highlights of my entire time spent working in the northern Rhône. As I think the list of wines demonstrate, this is a huge lineup, yet the theme across the entire range is incredible quality. Looking at the top Côte Rôties, the current releases in bottle are the 2012s and these are rich, supple, sexy, even flamboyant wines that will be relatively approachable in their youth, yet have broad drink windows. The 2013s are much more backward and restrained, and built for the long haul, but the long élevage favored at this estate is certainly helping to soften the tannin and give the wines a suppler texture. As to the 2014s, I was shocked at the depth and density this team was able to get in these wines, but this is another vintage that will be approachable in its youth. Lastly, and from vintage described by Marcel as the best of his lifetime (how's that for perspective?), The 2015s are inky and primordial, with mind-boggling depth and density. These will be reviewed two to three more times before release, but start saving today! Lastly, it's also worth pointing out that the estate has started utilizing a new cork technique that guarantees no TCA. This doesn't come cheap and is close to two Euros per cork, but it's just another example of the attention to detail and the level of effort that this estate puts forth to ensure the quality in the bottle. Hats off to them.

Rating
(95 - 97)

A bigger, richer wine than the La Mouline, the 2013 Côte Rôtie La Turque offers full-bodied, layered and almost decadent notes of blackcurrants, chocolate, cassis and toasted spice. This beauty has building tannic grip, a layered, concentrated mid-palate and serious length all pointing to a long, healthy life. Forget bottles for 4-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades.

As always, my visit with Marcel and Philippe Guigal is one of the highlights of my entire time spent working in the northern Rhône. As I think the list of wines demonstrate, this is a huge lineup, yet the theme across the entire range is incredible quality. Looking at the top Côte Rôties, the current releases in bottle are the 2012s and these are rich, supple, sexy, even flamboyant wines that will be relatively approachable in their youth, yet have broad drink windows. The 2013s are much more backward and restrained, and built for the long haul, but the long élevage favored at this estate is certainly helping to soften the tannin and give the wines a suppler texture. As to the 2014s, I was shocked at the depth and density this team was able to get in these wines, but this is another vintage that will be approachable in its youth. Lastly, and from vintage described by Marcel as the best of his lifetime (how's that for perspective?), The 2015s are inky and primordial, with mind-boggling depth and density. These will be reviewed two to three more times before release, but start saving today! Lastly, it's also worth pointing out that the estate has started utilizing a new cork technique that guarantees no TCA. This doesn't come cheap and is close to two Euros per cork, but it's just another example of the attention to detail and the level of effort that this estate puts forth to ensure the quality in the bottle. Hats off to them.