E. Guigal
Tavel 2019
Tavel
The Guigal family has been working for decades in Tavel, and today specifically works with 6 growers to produce the traditional style of rosé the region is known for – deep fruit, full of spice you find in the reds of the area, structured, and substantial enough to age. Thank goodness this appellation across the river from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, 100% dedicated to rosé, still produces wines of this full-bodied style!
Vineyard
Tavel has several major soil types. The Guigal family works with growers who have vineyards on clay and pebbly soils similar to those of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The grape varieties are a mix of the Southern Rhône red grapes, with 60% Grenache, 15% Cinsault, 10% Clairette, 10% Syrah, and 5% others.
Winemaking
Guigal works with 6 estates in Tavel and produce the wine in Ampuis. The juice is drawn off the skins after an 8-12 hour maceration and the wine undergoes a temperature-controlled fermentation. Following fermentation the wine ages in stainless steel tanks for 6 months, and then the Guigals prefer to age it in bottle a further 6-12 months.
Vintage
2019 was another warm and dry vintage in the southern Rhône, marked by insistent drought and repeated heat waves during the season. With little disease pressure or frost, the crop was of normal size, but reduced during the growing season by a lack of water. The grapes were concentrated and rich in sugar. Harvest in Tavel started in August in order to preserve acidity, and the crop was clean and ripe, with great concentration and aromatic expression.
Tasting Note
Pure and deep salmon pink. The nose opens with elegant floral and fruit notes. The palate is fruit and well structured, with constant aromatic finesse. Overall, the wine is a pleasant balance between fleshy fruitiness, pleasant acidity, and body.
Color
Rose
Grape Varieties
Cinsault, Clairette, Grenache, Syrah
Appellation
Tavel
Alcohol
14.5%
Suggested Retail Price
$23.00
Reviews
"Blends power and finesse"
Vinous - May 8, 2020 "Brilliant orange. Pungent red currant, cherry pit and blood orange aromas, along with suggestions of potpourri and fennel. Chewy and energetic on the palate, offering intense red berry, bitter cherry and floral pastille flavors brace by a spine of juicy acidity. Blends power and finesse with a steady hand and finishes very long and sappy, with a repeating floral note and a hint of spiciness."
"Everything you could want from a Tavel"
Vinous - November 20, 2020 "The 2019 Tavel offers everything you could want from a Tavel. Medium to full-bodied, it has wonderful cherry and raspberry fruits, a rounded, nicely texture mouthfeel, and a fresh, dry finish that keeps you coming back for another sip. Not your simple, quaffable Cotes de Provence rosé, this is geared for the dinner table and would be awesome with tapas."
"Big yet refreshing"
Wine Advocate - May 14, 2021 "The deeply colored 2019 Tavel is almost as much light red wine as it is rosé, boasting strong scents of cherries and raspberries and hints of garrigue and white chocolate. Medium to full-bodied, it's supple and round in the mouth, big yet refreshing, and it’s easy to drink, with a terrifically long finish. Much Tavel is consumed in its first year, but the wines often show just as well or better at age two."
Reviews
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Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
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.
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.
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!
Saint Joseph Vignes de l’Hospice
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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.
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.
Saint-Joseph Lieu Dit Blanc
Saint-Joseph
A result of its quality, Guigal’s Saint-Joseph Blanc Lieu Dit 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. 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, as it is almost a deceptively serious wine.
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.
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.
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.
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.
