Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/637107
{ cellar view } TASTING NOTES E. GUIGAL CHÂTEAU D'AMPUIS 1996 CÔTE-RÔTIE Anthony Dias Blue: Deep, brickish color. Silky smooth with a bright and juicy pal- ate that showcases blueberry, blackberry and black cherry. Floral and spicy, earthy, complex and long on the finish. Joy Cushing: Gentle violets with soft- ened plum and cassis. Charcuterie in bal- ance with the fruit makes for an elegantly drinking wine. Karen Moneymaker: Soft and floral on the nose (rose petals and cherry blos- som). Purfumed and well structured on the palate, with a pleasant, soft finish. Fruit and florals drop off at the end, this wine is picking up some nice aged fruit characteristics. Rudy Maxa: Mature nose, but tastes young, with great structure and notes of blackberries and cherries. Nathaniel Muñoz: Worn leather, dried roses, savory mulling spices—the bouquet is not tired—still vibrant with roasted meats, turned soil, persimmon skin and tea leaves. Group rating: 94. Drink: Now until 2020. ETIENNE GUIGAL FOUNDED THE COMPANY THAT BEARS his name in 1946. Through meticulous vineyard management and skilled winemaking, his firm grew to become the dominant producer in Côte-Rôtie, the "Roasted Coast" located on the western banks of the northern Rhône River. In 1995 the company, under the leadership of Marcel Guigal, Etienne's son, bought the Château d'Ampuis, the 11th-century fort-turned-château located in the town of Ampuis where the Côte-Rôtie vineyards lie. A 15-year renovation project converted the picturesque building from a near ruin to the sleek and imposing headquarters of the Guigal empire. Grapes for the Château d'Ampuis wine come from seven vineyards arrayed above the river in both the Côte Blonde and the Côte Brune. The wine is 93% Syrah and 7% Viognier. Our vertical tasting took place on December 3, 2015 in Pacific Palisades, California. In attendance were Nathaniel Muñoz, Sommelier, Rose Café, Venice, CA; Joy Cushing, som - melier ; Rudy Maxa, journalist; Karen Moneymaker, Senior Editor, The SOMM Journal; and Anthony Dias Blue, Editor-in-Chief, The SOMM Journal. Our lineup for the day: E. Guigal Château d'Ampuis Côte-Rôtie. Karen Moneymaker, Senior Editor, The SOMM Journal. Anthony Dias Blue, Editor-in-Chief, The SOMM Journal. Nathaniel Muñoz, Sommelier, Rose Café, Venice, CA Joy Cushing, sommelier. Rudy Maxa, journalist. OUR LOS ANGELES PANEL EXPLORES A VERTICAL OF GUIGAL'S CHÂTEAU D'AMPUIS b Anthony Dias Blue / photos by Dustin Downing The Château on the River 102 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 y