2009 - Cote Rotie Chateau d'Ampuis, E. Guigal

More ripe, voluptuous and decadent, the 2009 Cote Rotie Chateau d’Ampuis offers rocking dark fruits, cured meats, dried flowers, licorice and toasty/graphite-like qualities to go with a full-bodied, pedal-to-the-metal style on the palate. Gaining more and more freshness as it sat in the glass, this prodigious effort can be consumed anytime over the coming 2-3 decades. One of the reference point estates for top quality wines in the world today, the family run Guigal operation was created in 1946 by Etienne Guigal. Today, Etienne’s son, Marcel, and his son Philippe, are firmly in control here, and are without a doubt producing some of the most singular, sought after wines in the world. Due to the size of this tasting, I’ll keep my comments short, but the incredible quality coming from this operation is astounding, and a tasting here is always one of the highlights of any trip through the region. Furthermore, while a lot is said about the extended oak aging regime here, I don’t know anyone who tastes mature examples of these wines on a regular basis that still has any doubts about the genius going on here. In short, these single vineyard (and their blends as well) Cote Roties are some of the greatest wines money can buy. For this tasting (which, with the Guigals, is always a large one!), we focused on their Saint Joseph Vignes des Hospice release, and then three of their Cote Roties, starting with the classic Brune et Blonde, then the Chateau d’Ampuis, and finishing with their single vineyard La Mouline. Looking first at their Saint Joseph Vignes des Hospices release, it comes all from the incredibly steep (and picturesque) vineyard perched just above the town of Tournon. The exposure here (which is critical for Saint Joseph as the more southern facing the plot, the warmer the site is) is mostly east facing and the soils are pure granite (identical to the decomposed granite found in the Les Bessards lieu-dit on Hermitage Hills). Compared to the Saint Joseph lieu-d

Inky purple. Powerful, deeply pitched aromas of singed plum, blackberry, licorice pastille and Indian spices, with an accent of candied flowers. Supple, broad and sweet , displaying intense black and blue fruit, licorice and cracked pepper flavors. The floral element comes back strong on the finish, which is firmed by smooth, slow-building tannins. Shows the power of the vintage to full effect but comes off as surprisingly energetic and fresh.