E. Guigal
Côtes du Rhône Rosé 2017
Côtes du Rhône
The Guigal family has made serious rosé wines since the 1940s, and their Côtes du Rhône Rosé, like all their Côtes du Rhône wines, is humble in name only. The wine bursts with irresistible fresh red fruits and yet is also long and satisfying. Because of its quality and body, it’s a rosé that you can bring to the table, and do so all year long. It is a rose that offers both refreshment and pleasure.
Vineyard
The Guigals work with fruit specifically grown to maker superior rosé wines. These vineyards consist of clay, limestone and alluvial soils. The 2017 is comprised of 70% Grenache, 20% Cinsault and 10% Syrah. Yields in these vineyards are a low 2.3 tons per acre and the vine average age is 25 years.
Winemaking
The handling in the winery is to create a wine of complex flavors, texture and structure. The wine, in fact, is handled in the same way as their far more limited Tavel wine, the single top appellation in France for rosé. The key is a masterful maceration followed by a long, cool fermentation that, because of the quality of the grapes, brings an array of fruit, mineral and even a touch of spice notes, as well as both an appetizing freshness and a frame that carries the wine along.
Vintage
The 2017 vintage in the Southern Rhône Valley is a sad story for many producers, as the quality is very good to excellent but a wet spring followed by a hot and dry summer severely affected yields. Good ripening and concentration, and good balance to the wines.
Tasting Note
Clear and brilliant, the nose is fresh and expressive with red fruits and citrus notes, particularly raspberry and redcurrant. The palate is fine, fruity and round. So nicely balanced and elegant, with the impressive array of flavors and textures shining through nevertheless.
Color
Rose
Appellation
Côtes du Rhône
Farming
Guigal uses only environmentally sustainable methods of pest, disease and weed control. They work to conserve biological diversity, water resources, soils and ecosystems on their land. Packaging materials are recyclable or biodegradable. Lastly, they are committed to achieving a zero waste target.
Alcohol
13.5%
Suggested Retail Price
$19
Reviews
Jeb Dunnuck - May 20, 2019 "There are two rosés, a slightly lighter styled Côtes du Rhône rosé and a richer Tavel. The 2017 Côtes du Rhône Rosé offers pretty, fresh notes of cherries and strawberries, and is medium-bodied, fresh and crisp. This cuvée has always leaned toward the richer end of the spectrum, but the 2017 is certainly in a fresher, more Provençal style."
"Highly perfumed strawberry and candied rose scents"
Josh Raynolds, Vinous Media - August 8, 2018 "Pale pink. Highly perfumed strawberry and candied rose scents, joined by a slowly building hint of orange zest. Dry and brisk on the palate, offering bitter cherry pit and red berry flavors and a spicy touch of white pepper. Finishes clean and long, displaying resonating florality and a subtle touch of dusty minerals."
Reviews
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Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
Côtes du Rhône Rouge
Given that this particular wine can be the introduction to the entire Rhône Valley for a drinker, as well as the position they occupy in the Rhône, it is not enough for the Guigals to make a good Côtes du Rhône. They are relentlessly driven to produce a distinctive and outstanding wine that drives interest in exploring the entirety of the Rhône.
Côtes du Rhône Blanc
Guigal’s Côtes du Rhône Blanc both sets and steps outside the standard for the appellation and showcases one of the great secrets of the Guigal family: their specialization in the great white Rhône varieties. While only 8% of the Rhône's production is white, a full 25% of Guigal’s production is white and they are today the single largest producer of whites in the Rhône Valley.
Saint Joseph Vignes de l’Hospice
Saint-Joseph
Guigal’s Vignes de l’Hospice is one of the finest sites in the Northern Rhone Valley. This steeply terraced vineyard used to be divided into three, but Guigal now owns majority of this parcel in order to restore perception of Saint-Joseph as an appellation of utmost quality. In fact, Guigal is often asked when they will produce a fourth “LaLa,” and their response is that their fourth single vineyard phenomenon of the Northern Rhone is already being produced: the Vignes de l’Hospice.
Saint-Joseph Lieu Dit Rouge
Saint-Joseph
A result of its quality, Guigal’s Saint-Joseph Lieu Dit Rouge comes from the “Saint-Joseph” vineyard that gives the appellation its name. This site convinced the Guigals to work in Saint-Joseph and help to restore the historic perception of Saint-Joseph as an appellation of utmost quality. The 100% Syrah wine has complex and deep black fruit, floral, spice and mineral characteristics. Despite its concentration and powerful attack, the wine retains the trademark elegance that Saint-Joseph offers.
Saint-Joseph Lieu Dit Blanc
Saint-Joseph
A result of its quality, Guigal’s Saint-Joseph Blanc Lieu Dit comes from the “Saint-Joseph” vineyard that gives the appellation its name. This site convinced the Guigals to work in Saint-Joseph and help to restore the historic perception of Saint-Joseph as an appellation of utmost quality. Saint-Joseph Blanc is a serious wine, with weight and complexity, and is deeply reflective of its vineyard sites. A seamless balance of freshness and fruitiness, pleasure and interest, and flavors and structure. Guigal’s specialty in whites is especially evident in this wine, as it is almost a deceptively serious wine.
Ermitage Ex Voto Blanc
Hermitage
Ermitage Ex-Voto represents the fulfillment of a longtime dream of Marcel Guigal’s to own vineyard land on the hill of Hermitage. Through the purchase of the de Vallouit and J. L. Grippat domaines in 2000, Guigal acquired four exceptional vineyard parcels on this legendary site. The 2001 vintage was the first release of this estate-bottled Hermitage red and white. The quality of the intense old-vine fruit is quite special, but given the Guigal’s already strong work in Hermitage, they decided to only release an Ex-Voto red or white when the wine is utterly exceptional and clearly superior to their appellation bottlings.
Ermitage Ex Voto Rouge
Hermitage
Ermitage Ex-Voto represents the fulfillment of a longtime dream of Marcel Guigal’s to own vineyard land on the hill of Hermitage. Through the purchase of the de Vallouit and J. L. Grippat domaines in 2000, Guigal acquired four exceptional vineyard parcels on this legendary site. The 2001 vintage was the first release of this estate-bottled Hermitage red and white. The quality of the intense old-vine fruit is quite special, but given the Guigal’s already strong work in Hermitage, they decided to only release an Ex-Voto red or white when the wine is utterly exceptional and clearly superior to their appellation bottlings.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Guigal produces an intensely concentrated, inviting and complex Châteauneuf-du-Pape that is almost unique to the region today. Their passion for Châteauneuf, the leading appellation of the Southern Rhône, runs as deeply as that for their home sites in the Northern Rhône. The combination of working with top fruit that has perfect ripeness, along with their extraordinary patience in the cellar, results in rich and full, yet savory, spicy, seamless and balanced wines. Wines to enjoy immediately but capable of aging, and, above all, wines that leave you wanting more.
Condrieu La Doriane
Condrieu
La Doriane is a luxury cuvée of Condrieu that the Guigals have produced since the 1994 vintage. A great success since the first vintage, the wine always seems richly oaked and very fruity when young, transforming in 3-4 years into a seamlessly complex, aromatic and vibrant wine. La Doriane contradicts the accepted wisdom that Condrieu does not age well.
