![](https://vintus.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Saint-Joseph-Lieu-Dit-Blanc.png)
E. Guigal
Saint-Joseph Lieu Dit Blanc 2019
Saint-Joseph
Guigal’s Saint-Joseph Lieu Dit Blanc comes from the vineyard that gives the Saint-Joseph appellation its name, and is one of the finest sites in the Northern Rhone Valley. Made in minuscule quantities, the Lieu Dit Blanc is one of the most original and distinctive whites in the Rhone.
Guigal believes, as do a number of top producers working in the area, that Saint-Joseph will be one of the great stories in the next few decades, reaching the renown it received several hundred years ago. 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.
VINEYARD
![](https://vintus.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/lieu_dit_saint_joseph_4-e1533673258342.jpeg )
This Saint Joseph Lieu Dit Blanc is comprised of fruit from the exceptional Lieu Dit vineyard previously owned by Domaine J. L. Grippat (purchased in 2000). Vines average in age from 20 up to 75 years, and are planted on steep slopes of Gneiss with granite. The white grapes are more specifically planted to 95% Marsanne and 5% Roussanne.
How Guigal came to own these vineyards needs its own chapter, but we will try to summarize. In short, the Guigals for years wanted to purchase land in Hermitage. Jean-Louis Grippat, considered the best producer in Saint Joseph at the time, had no heirs interested in taking over his family business, and told the Guigals he was going to sell his vineyards, including land he owned in Hermitage. The catch was that the sale was all or nothing; he would not parcel out his vineyard holdings.
Marcel and Philippe drove the 45 minutes down to Saint-Joseph from Côte-Rôtie, and somberly discussed in the car how they would have to explain to Jean-Louis that they were not interested. It was not something they could do over the phone, hence the drive. When they arrived, rather than sitting down for a discussion, Jean-Louis took them right to his Saint-Joseph vineyards. Though they live only 45 minutes north, the Guigals had never seen the region through the eyes of one of its top producers, and never walked vineyards of this quality. They fell in love, and made the purchase.
WINEMAKING
![](https://vintus.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Tonnellerie-20-e1533673371675.jpeg )
Fermentation is in stainless steel, with a slow pressing allowing the wine to stay on its skins. Aging is in a combination of new (50%) and second use (50%) barrels, all coopered by Guigal at Château d’Ampuis.
VINTAGE
![](https://vintus.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/La-Mouline-26.jpeg )
2019 looks to be a nearly perfect vintage in the Northern Rhône. Following a cool spring, flowering was normal, setting a normal crop – a relief after two short harvests. Hail impacted Crozes Hermitage, but vineyards across the river in Mauves were not affected. July was the hottest on record in the Rhône, but August brought some welcome rain leading into a warm and even September with perfect harvest conditions. Guigal harvested their Saint Joseph whites on September 11th and 12th, bringing in supremely concentrated fruit with excellent acidity. The 2019 Saint-Joseph Lieu Dit Blanc is rich and well-structured with a veneer of new oak framing superbly concentrated flavors of quince, peach pit, and lanolin. 2019 is clearly the finest vintage for this wine to date.
TASTING NOTE
![](https://vintus.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Philippe-and-Marcel-Guigal-e1533663521813.jpg )
Straw yellow with golden tints. Very complex nose with hazelnuts, yellow fruit and oak accents. Full-bodied attack, with fleshy fruit and a round palate. Balanced with complex aromas and the roundness characteristic of the best sites of the appellation.
Color
White
Grape Varieties
Marsanne, Roussanne
Appellation
Saint-Joseph
Farming
For nearly 4 decades Guigal has used 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.
Suggested Retail Price
$75
Reviews
"Expressive white"
Wine Spectator - August 19, 2021
"There's an exotic edge to the mix of papaya, creamed yellow apple, salted butter, chamomile and macadamia nut in this expressive white, all carried by a brioche- and white ginger–accented finish. Gorgeous." - JM
"Rich, full-bodied, and opulent"
Jeb Dunnuck - November 23, 2020 "Another incredible wine, the 2019 Saint Joseph Lieu-Dit Saint Joseph Blanc boasts a vivid gold hue as well as incredible notes of quince, white currants, toasted almonds, brioche, and a liquid rock-like minerality. Rich, full-bodied, and opulent on the palate, it has a wonderful sense of minerality, a seamless, multi-dimensional texture, and a blockbuster of a finish. This is the finest example of this cuvée I've tasted (and I've had them all)."
Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
![](https://vintus.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/00100100NV.png)
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.
![](https://vintus.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Cotes-du-Rhone-Blanc.png)
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.
![](https://vintus.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/001003NV.png)
Côtes du Rhône Rosé
The Guigal family has made serious dry 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 serious and satisfying. While this Rosé is always a lovely aperitif, its intensity and richness make it perfect for the table, and it pairs well with all manner of cuisines. And starting with the 2020 vintage, the wine has a stunning new proprietary bottle: a subtle enhancement for an already elegant wine!
![](https://vintus.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/E-Guigal-Vignes-Hospice-RG-HD-NEW.jpg)
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.
![](https://vintus.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/00102301NV.png)
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.
![](https://vintus.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/00102100NV.png)
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.
![](https://vintus.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/00102000NV.png)
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.
![](https://vintus.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/00103100NV.png)
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.
![](https://vintus.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/00101900NV.png)
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.