Finca Decero Malbec 2015 proudly stands as Wine #34 in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2017. Rated 91 Points by WS and also noted as a “Smart Buy”, this wine is described as “an elegant style, with a core of vibrant cherry, plum and currant flavors that are supported by fresh acidity. This is supple mid palate, with a finish that lingers with dried ginger and white pepper details.”
Bo Barrett, the CEO of Chateau Montelena, put together a retrospective of the winery’s primarily Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines from the 1970s to the present. It was meant as a testimony to how these wines can age, something that is rarely tested in Northern California as a number producers don’t hold back enough stocks of their older vintages.
Read the full article here.
Ray Isle of Food & Wine highlights Chateau Montelena Chardonnay 2015 in his article “40 Wines That Changed the Way We Drink.” In it, he states, “Cabernet wasn’t California’s only triumph in Paris in the United States’ bicentennial year. The 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay…also took top honors. Today Montelena’s Chardonnay is still made in the same restrained, elegant style—the graceful 2015 vintage ($58) being a fine example.”
Read the full article here.
Roger Morris of The Drinks Business joined the Chateau Montelena “Dream” Tasting in NYC on June 27th. Bo Barrett took a room full of eager guests through 5 decades of Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, dating back to 1974 and all served out of magnum. Morris states, “Each of the wines was sound, and each vintage tasted as though it had more years to age. Surprisingly, there was a great continuity of style between vintages in spite of the addition of better machinery, new oak barrels, drip irrigation and the addition of hillside estate vineyards…”
The “Dream” refers to Jim Barrett’s vision for creating world class Cabernet Sauvignon that could, like the great First Growths of Bordeaux, stand the test of time. It’s no secret that Montelena has remained a pillar of the classicly balanced California Cabernet camp, and their wines do indeed age in an extraordinary way.
Read the full article here.
The Washington Post’s wine columnist, Dave McIntyre, included E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone Rosé 2017 in his latest column as a great value wine. He elaborated that Guigal is “perhaps the most famous producer in the northern Rhone Valley, and its rosé is a perennial favorite.” Additionally, he noted the wine “offers great juicy fruit and refreshing acidity.”
Read the full article here.
The E. Guigal 2015 Saint-Joseph Rouge was featured in Brian Freedman’s Forbes.com column “Wines of The Week: Syrah And Viognier For The Summer,” just in time to inspire our weekend wine purchases! Brian selected the Saint-Joseph Rouge from E. Guigal as the red Wine of the Week, which he called “one of the most instantly recognizable names of the Rhone Valley.” He described the Saint-Joseph as having “generous fruit complicated by the quintessentially savory notes of floral peppercorn and serious minerality.” In addition, Brian noted that the wine “shows an appealing mix of cherry, plum, fig cake, and star anise, all of it cut through with mouthwatering acidity that allows the subtly smoky finish to linger.”
Read the full story here.
Writer Russ Winton included the wine he enjoyed over July 4th weekend with his Modesto Bee readers. Within Russ’ Wine List column, he shares that the 2015 E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone Rouge “is aged two years and a great value at $15. A light chill made it perfect for the July 4 barbecue.”
Read the full story here.
Super flyovers of Cote-Rotie and a dive into the Guigal cellar. If you didn’t know how steep the vineyards of Cote-Rotie were before – and how backbreaking the work to harvest – this video certainly illustrates the point. As the saying goes, on the flats of Bordeaux 1 person can cover 250 acres through mechanization. In Burgundy, where work must all be done by hand because of vineyard spacing, 1 person can cover 12 acres. In the Northern Rhone, everything has to be done by hand AND the slopes are so steep, 1 person can work 5 acres.
Richard Hemming MW writes one of the first pieces covering the new Chateau de Nalys wines from Guigal. You can read the full article here (subscription required), and the comments on the wines below. While these initial reviews are great, it is indeed the comments that are most exciting.
Guigal, Saintes Pierres de Nalys 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape
36% Clairette, 29% Bourboulenc, 25% Grenache Blanc, 7% Roussanne, 3% Picardin. 20% aged in demi-muids for eight months. 50% malolactic fermentation. Bottled June 2018.
More overtly grapey aromas than the Guigal Châteauneuf, but the same substantial concentration and waxy texture. Melon and peach fruit on the long aftertaste. Achieves volume without distortion. (RH)
Drink 2018-2028
17
Guigal, Ch de Nalys 2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape
43% Roussanne, 33% Grenache Blanc, 15% Clairette, 6% Bourboulenc, 3% Piquepoul. 70% aged in demi-muids for eight months. 60% malolactic fermentation. Bottled June 2018.
Creamier and more sweetly spiced than their Saintes Pierres, with plush, lush texture and great fragrance. Lavish oak, but it’s not ostentatious. The orchard fruit of the Roussanne comes through clearly. (RH)
Drink 2017-2027
17.5
Guigal, Saintes Pierres de Nalys 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape
69% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 5% Cinsault, 4% Muscardin, 1% Counoise, 1% Mourvèdre. 10% aged in foudres for 18 months. Bottled June 2018.
Riper red fruit than the Guigal 2015 with juicy blackberry fruit and black olive aromas too. Very full. A rip-roarer, and still quite raw. Has the power of the vintage, so should improve. (RH)
Drink 2018-2024
16+
Guigal, Ch de Nalys 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Barrel sample. 59% Grenache, 32% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre, 3% Counoise, 1% Vacarèse. 30% aged in barriques and foudres.
Superb red fruit, really showcasing the purity of Grenache. Clay-textured tannins. Great perfume, with a scent a bit like fennel. There’s a real broad scope of flavour here, although it will need time to express itself fully. (RH)
Drink 2019-2031
17.5
The Best Wine of the World Competition (bwwcompetition.com) takes into account consumer and professional voting in a 3 month first round period, with the top 30 wines blind tasted by professionals. In a remarkable showing, Guigal comes out with the following honors:
Winner Best Winery of the World: E. Guigal
Winner Best White Wine of the World: E. Guigal Ermitage Ex-Voto Blanc 2013
Winner Best French White Wine: E. Guigal Ermitage Ex-Voto Blanc 2013
3rd Place Best Red Wine of the World: E. Guigal La Landonne 2009
Best French Wine: E. Guigal La Landonne 2009
Best French Red Wine: E. Guigal La Landonne 2009
Truly a testament to the Guigal family given the other top producers we respect immensely that also took awards, estates such as Harlan, Keller, Armand Rousseau, Weingut Knoll, Chateau Suduiraut, Coche-Dury, and Domaine de Chevalier.