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E. Guigal

Côte-Rôtie La Landonne 2019

Côte-Rôtie

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One of three single-vineyard Cru Côte Rôtie in the Guigal estate, La Landonne is a remarkable expression of terroir and one of the world’s most coveted wines. And for good reason, as La Landonne is situated on one of the steepest vineyards of the Côte Brune, a 45 degree slope that remarkably requires harvesters to start picking from the bottom of the vineyard and work their way up, placing grape bunches in bins that are set on sleds and dragged up the hill. Along with its position at the northern end of the Côte Brune and the fact it is the last vineyard to ripen, La Landonne is the mirror of the feminine and voluptuous La Mouline: it is a wine of driving power, defined by its dark fruit and structure. Marcel Guigal assembled this vineyard over 10 years though parcel-by-parcel acquisitions from 17 growers. The vineyard was totally replanted in 1975, the year of Philippe Guigal’s birth, and the first vintage was 1978.

VINEYARD

The La Landonne vineyard sits on clay-limestone soil, very rich in iron oxides, lending additional polyphenols. The 5.7 acre site is planted entirely with Syrah. It took the Guigals more than a decade to acquire this vineyard, acquiring it from numerous small owners parcel by parcel.

WINEMAKING

La Landonne is the one Guigal Cote-Rotie wine that is rarely destemmed to any degree. The wine is continuously pumped over, with fermentation and maceration lasting 4 weeks.

The wine is aged 42 months in new oak barrels, all made by Guigal at Chateau d’Ampuis.

VINTAGE

2019 is the latest in an unprecedented string of magnificent vintages in the Northern Rhône Valley, with extremely high quality in all appellations and at all levels. It stands out amongst a remarkable sequence of exceptional vintages here, a run that spans the years 2015 through 2020 (with the frost-shattered 2021 also likely to be superb, what there is of it), and the 2022 already promising to be excellent. Following the intense but also charming 2017s, and the forceful and forward 2018s, the 2019 reds are once again powerful wines with deep, healthy colors and pinpoint balance. Acidity levels and tannin content are both higher in this vintage than in the two prior, framing the 2019s as a hypothetical cross between the classic 2016s and the rich, forward 2018s. Yields were impacted by hail in some appellations, but outside of Crozes-Hermitage the damage was slight, and 2019 overall was a vintage of average size. The intensely concentrated fruit, framed by healthy acidity and deep, ripe tannins is perfectly suited to Guigal’s method of extended élèvage, and the 2019s should prove to be among the longest-lived vintages in recent memory.

TASTING NOTE

To the eye, the wine is red black with deep dark tints. The nose is presented with powerful and intense aromas of small black fruits, liquorice and roasted notes and oriental spices. The palate immediately begins with a powerful attack of important tannic structure. Rich and concentrated, the wine is fully expressive of the terroir. Overall, there is great ageing potential, structured and concentrated with a rare intensity of flavour and colour.

Color

Red

Grape Varieties

Syrah

Appellation

Côte-Rôtie

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

14.5%

Suggested Retail Price

$700

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