2008 Côte Rôtie, La Turque, Domaine Guigal
About Producer
Founded in 1946 in Ampuis by Étienne Guigal, who arrived in the region in 1923, at the age of 14, and went on to make over 67 vintages in the Côte Rôtie. In 1961, following Étienne's temporary health issues, his son Marcel took over the management of the domaine, despite his young age. Together with his wife Bernadette who joined in 1973, Marcel has significantly expanded the family business over the years. Thanks to their unparalleled craftmanship and through successive acquisitions of vineyards, the Guigals have built up an iconic range of wines seldom matched across the Rhône Valley. Today, their son Philippe, an oenologist by training born in 1975, and his wife Eve are the third generation at the domaine.
Varietals
Blend of 93% syrah and 7% viognier.
About Appellation
Vines were first planted in the Côte Rôtie area by the Romans. The vineyard is composed of two sections separated by Ruisseau du Reynard, the small stream that runs through the steep hills to meet River Rhône at Ampuis. Côte Brune, upstream of the Reynard, is exclusively planted with syrah, while there are some viognier plantings, as supporting role to syrah, in Côte Blonde in downstream. Acquired in 1985, La Turque is the smallest Guigal’s ‘La La’ single vineyard, just under 1ha, located on a very steep south-facing slope in the centre of the Côte Brune on schist rocks and iron oxide soil.
Tasting Notes
Fragrant nose of dark berry fruits, plum, smoked meat, cocoa powder, leather, spices and roasted herbs, supple mouthfeel with smooth texture, broad structure and remarkable depth, multilayered flavours of morello cherry, black currant, dark chocolate, olive tapenade, coffee, anise and cardamom liberally laced with forest floor undertones, well-embedded acidity and resolved tannins carrying through a long, sappy finish. La Turque is often in the shadows of La Landonne and La Mouline, yet I find that in off vintages this vineyard usually produces superb, well-balanced wines with innate elegance, stunning breadth and outstanding purity. I particularly love the effortless display of grip, minerality and fruit on the palate that makes this 2008 one of the finest côte rôtie of a rather challenging year