E. Guigal Château D’Ampuis Côte-Rôtie Red Wine 2018 France 75cl

E. Guigal Château d’Ampuis Côte-Rôtie 2018 is produced from 7 plots of the domaine: Le Clos, La Garde, La Grande Plantée (all from the Côte Blonde), and La Pommière, Le Pavillon Rouge, Le Moulin and La Viria (all from the Côte Brune). It is the traditional Côte-Rôtie blend, 93% Syrah and 7% Viognier. The vines are cropped to low yields and given a long hang-time, with the expressed aim of achieving perfectly ripe fruit, with sweet tannins and concentrated flavours. Like all of Guigal’s Côte-Rôtie wines, the key factor in the winemaking is extended élevage in new oak barrels; their wines have such concentration to handle this treatment. Lesser-quality fruit would not cope with their barrel regime. This wine spent 38 months resting in new oak barrels. The resultant wines of this domaine are both delicious and profound.

E. Guigal was founded in 1946 by Etienne, whose 67 consecutive vintages worked in Côte-Rôtie are a testament to his work ethic and perseverance – a trait that was passed on to his son Marcel and grandson Philippe. The domaine has been built on hard work for many decades, propelling not only their brand but that of Côte-Rôtie into superstardom. They are now a large domaine, having grown over the years as retiring vignerons have sold their vineyards to the family, giving them an impressive spread of prime vineyards that spans the length of the Rhône wine region.