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E. Guigal - Cotes du Rhone Rouge label
E. Guigal - Cotes du Rhone Rouge bottle

E. Guigal - Cotes du Rhone Rouge 2012

Red Wine

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Item# 900-12

Vinification

Guigal ages their Cotes du Rhone Rouge for a full two years (minimum) before release, almost unheard of in the Rhone. This expensive process results in a wine of unusual complexity, with a substantial and generous palate. After a long maceration and fermentation, aging takes place in oak foudres for 18 months.

Estate

The firm of E. Guigal, located in Ampuis, was founded in 1946 by Etienne Guigal. Since 1961 his son Marcel has led the estate, and his unparalleled work ethic and dedication to quality have brought attention to Cote-Rotie and other appellations throughout the Rhone that were in danger of being lost, and lifted the Guigal wines to the pinnacle of the wine world. Today, Marcel's son Philippe serves as Director and Oenologist, continuing the tradition of leadership in the Rhone Valley and uncompromising excellence.

Vineyard

The soils are varied, consisting mainly sedimentary, limestone and granite soils, with many pebbles and alluvial deposits. The average yield is around 2.1 tons per acre, and the average age of the vines is 35 years.

Wine

Guigal's Cotes du Rhone Rouge sets the standard for the appellation. The Cotes du Rhone appellation applies to red, white, and rose wines from vineyards throughout the Rhone Valley, comprising 90% of the region's production. Quality and style can vary widely. The Guigals select and blend cuvees from over 40 top growers, and their talent lies in the rigorous and exhaustive traveling and tasting they carry out. Ultimately they select only 1% of all wines they taste for their Cotes du Rhone: one lot out of every one hundred. Since the 1998 vintage the wine has been based on Syrah, a Northern Rhone approach to a wine that is almost always Grenache-based. This focus produces wines of greater aromatic intensity and structure, though is much more costly to produce given the particularities of growing Syrah in the Southern Rhone. The 2012 is 50% Syrah, 45% Grenache, and 5% Mourvedre. Complex and deceptively ageworthy, Guigal's Cotes du Rhone Rouge is one of the world's greatest wine values.