The SOMM Journal

February / March 2016

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{ SOMMjournal.com }  103 E. GUIGAL CHÂTEAU D'AMPUIS 1997 CÔTE-RÔTIE Anthony Dias Blue: Dense and lush, with a soft earthiness and a touch of cut herbs. This wine lacks the structure of the '96, but is still rich and ripe with good length on the finish. Joy Cushing: Softer nose than the '96, with slightly more acidity. Floral nose, with black- berry, crushed pepper, cut herbs and tobacco. Karen Moneymaker: Iron, meat, smoke, clove and orange peel. Richer on the palate than the '96, with a deeper concentration of fruit. Heavy on attack, drops off on mid-palate, but long in aromatics. Rudy Maxa: Competent, solid fruit with notes of raspberries and a wisp of leather. Nice bal- ance, but not a big finish. Nathaniel Muñoz: Dark fruits on the nose, cedar, tobacco, fresh mint and eucalyptus. Fruits are a bit tired on the palate, greener aromatics (almost Bordelaise), this wine finishes with lean and tart red fruit. Group rating: 91. Drink: Now until 2017. E. GUIGAL CHÂTEAU D'AMPUIS 2003 CÔTE-RÔTIE Anthony Dias Blue: Powerful and intense with a modern nose, layered with vanilla oak and spice. Nice structure and balance, with a lively and clean finish. Joy Cushing: Ripe to roasted fruit– blackberry, cherry, currant– with tea leaves, cedar and a touch of cranberry on the finish. Medium acid and tannin. Karen Moneymaker: Cracked pepper, cedar, smoke and cut green herbs. Astringentcy is backed by nice tannins (which are surprisingly youthful and masculine). Not as dense or cloy- ing as expected for the warm vintage, but still more brutish than pretty. Rudy Maxa: Very big wine at first taste, with power to back it up. Loads of fruit with tannins that could use a little time to soften. Potential for longevity in aging. Nathaniel Muñoz: Less complex than the first two wines, but well fruited and full (violets and blueberries). Roses, leather, sour cherry, and black pepper–this wine is a touch shy and sterile, but tasty. Group rating: 93. Drink: Now until 2020. E. GUIGAL CHÂTEAU D'AMPUIS 2004 CÔTE-RÔTIE Anthony Dias Blue: Dark, earthy and concen- trated, this wine is layer upon layer of fleshy red fruit and chocolate. Silky and aromatic on the finish with a ripe and balanced palate. Joy Cushing: Anise, bruised plum, dried herbs, cassis and charcuterie. Brings a lot to the table up front, but winds down quickly, with a long and gentle finish (although with slightly more body than the '03). Karen Moneymaker: Purple flowers (violet and lavender), soy and rosemary. Rich and pow- erful on the finish, densely layered and a touch creamy. There is a stemmy note (whole cluster fermentation?) that adds to the structure on the mid-palate. Rudy Maxa: This rich, fruity Syrah has a linger- ing touch of summer fruit. Alcohol is a little out of balance, but it would be interesting to revisit this wine in three years. Nathaniel Muñoz: Very available and gener- ous, this wine leads with plum, black cherry, cocoa, cardamom, brown sugar and a touch of mint. Deeply rich and youthful, with medium acidity and tannin. Group rating: 94. Drink: 2016 until 2024. E. GUIGAL CHÂTEAU D'AMPUIS 2005 CÔTE-RÔTIE Anthony Dias Blue: A big baby (but with great potential), the 2005 is lush and earthy with a touch of meatiness and loaded with dark, ripe fruit profile of cherries and blackberry. Joy Cushing: Florals are hidden behind the vast wealth of fruit in this wine. Lots of terroir (slightly rustic), with baking spices, peppercorn and tea leaf. I look forward to tasting this wine in five years. Karen Moneymaker: Citrus blossom, ripe red pomegranate, a touch of new plastic and baking spices. Bright acidity, youthful. Rudy Maxa: Fruit forward, this wine is a tsu- nami of dark fruits and chocolate, with a mas- sive finish. Nathaniel Muñoz: This takes so much time to open up! Deeply fruited and big, with fresh black pepper, black cherry, wet soil and rose- hips. Alcohol is high, full tannins, baked earth, cured meat and blood sausage. Group rating: 93. Drink: 2016 until 2026. E. GUIGAL CHÂTEAU D'AMPUIS 2007 CÔTE-RÔTIE Anthony Dias Blue: Bright, aromatic and tangy with intense spice on the nose. This wine is a baby but still pleases with its juicy fruit profile and dense minerality. Joy Cushing: Cherry blossom and vibrant berries, with a plethora of floral notes. Fruit is very dominant in this wine, with undertones of cedar, sage and graphite. Karen Moneymaker: Viognier pops out on the nose, with kumquat and touch of graphite. Not as dense as the '04 or '05, but really nice nonetheless. Rudy Maxa: This flowery whopper of a wine has a long life ahead of it. Chocolate, tobacco and purple fruit– this is a wine only time will tame. Nathaniel Muñoz: Crazy floral, kumquat, white flowers, green banana, roasted meat, caraway and fennel seed. Black plum, savory cocoa, bay leaf, heather and orange peel– it just goes on and on. Mineral (graphite), tart cherry and black pepper on the finish. Group rating: 95. Drink: 2016 until 2030. E. GUIGAL CHÂTEAU D'AMPUIS 2008 CÔTE-RÔTIE Anthony Dias Blue: Dark, elegant and smooth with a dusty minerality layered with lovely ripe fruit. Less concentration than the 2007, but energetic and balanced nonetheless. Joy Cushing: Rich, vibrant red fruit with black currant, spices, eucalyptus, and rustic minerality. Violets and purple flowers on the finish. Karen Moneymaker: Baking spice, a touch stemmy on the nose, rich red fruits, warm and dusty. Less acidity than the '07, but wraps up with a nice, long, red fruit driven finish. Rudy Maxa: Delicate and lighter then the '05 or '07, but still poised and elegant and drinking well right now. Nathaniel Muñoz: Super modern nose (per- haps a touch of VA?) high tone cherry, blackberry and watermelon rind. Juicy and sweetly toned, this wine feels so young but is ready to open. Group rating: 95. Drink: Now until 2025. E. GUIGAL CHÂTEAU D'AMPUIS 2009 CÔTE-RÔTIE Anthony Dias Blue: Bright red cherry and black raspberry lead the charge on this wine. Balanced, lively and long, the 2009 finishes with dense raspberry notes on the back palate. Joy Cushing: Lightly crushed rose petals, euca- lyptus, cassis, red juicy berries and upturned spice. The touch of Viognier plays harmoniously with the Syrah in this wine. Karen Moneymaker: Grapey and super tightly wound, I look forward to seeing how this wine evolves over the next ten years. A hard core of purple fruit that is surprisingly approachable despite its density. Rudy Maxa: Very bright, chewy and luxurious. Fruit and alcohol dominate the structure of this wine. Nice to drink now, but will be great in the years to come. Nathaniel Muñoz: Apricot jam, orange mar- malade, violets and roses. Super ripe and dense, with concentrated red cherries and plum. Wonderfully juicy, on point and modern. Lock this wine away and save it for retirement! Group rating: 95. Drink: Now until 2030. E. Guigal is imported by Vintus.

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