Côtes du Rhône Rouge, Guigal

Meget typisk for årgangen. Sødmefuld, cremet, indbydende sexet og i god balance. Poleret, men med masser af lokal karakter og solid grenache i bassen. Mere sexet end denne cuvée plejer at være i så ung en alder og bedre efter en tur på karaffel. Åbner sig mere og mere på anden og tredjedagen.

Dark ruby. Spice-accented cherry and black raspberry aromas are complemented by suggestions of pungent flowers and cola. Fleshy and energetic in the mouth, offering nicely concentrated red and blue fruit flavors that tighten up steadily with air. Shows very good energy and lift on a long, gently tannic finish that leaves behind repeating red fruit and spice notes. - Josh Raynolds

Guigal's 2018 Cotes du Rhone is a fun, fruit-driven vintage of a wine whose normal style tends more toward "serious." It's medium to full-bodied but refreshingly supple, with juicy cherries and blueberries dancing on the palate. - Joe Czerwinski

Saturated ruby. Ripe black raspberry and cherry aromas are complicated by suggestions of cracked pepper, allspice and pungent flowers. Supple, appealingly sweet red and blue fruit preserve flavors gain energy with air, and a bright mineral element adds back-end lift. Supple tannins add shape to a persistent, floral-accented finish, which leaves cherry and spice notes behind. - Josh Raynolds

Deep, brilliant ruby color. Expansive dark berry, cherry, floral and spice aromas show very good clarity and pick up darker olive and licorice notes as the wine opens up. Sweet and energetic on the palate, offering juicy cherry, blackberry flavors and a spicy jolt of cracked pepper. Finishes with impressive length, sneaky tannins and a lingering suggestion of candied flowers. As usual, this bottling, which is made in massive volume and available seemingly everywhere, delivers outstanding value. The inherent elegance of the 2016 vintage comes through loud and clear. It'll age well, too, if one is so inclined. - Josh Raynolds

At the moment, the 2016 Cotes du Rhone is more complex than the impressive 2015, offering up hints of plum, cassis and mulberry as well as savory notes of leather and spice. It looks like back-to-back winning vintages for this workhorse cuvée. - Joe Czerwinski

The 2013 Côtes du Rhône, which is scheduled to be bottled in November, is a bigger, richer wine than I remember and has tons of ripe Syrah characteristics. Black olives, smoked earth, pepper and plenty of dark fruit all emerge from this inky-colored, straight-up impressive Côtes du Rhône.

This blend is based on representative samples of 50 of the 800+ lots of wine that go into this which will probably be bottled in Jan 2014 and released in 2015. Lots of rive droite wine this blend, especially from Ardèche which was especially good in 2012 when it was a relatively alcoholic vintage. Jolly and fruity on the palate but a slightly tired sample on the nose. Some tannins lurk underneath but I don't think this particular vintage is for very long keeping. Philippe Guigal says magnums of 2005 drink beautifully now. - Jancis Robinson

Deep ruby. Spice- and smoke-accented cherry and dark berry aromas are complemented by suggestions of candied violet and cracked pepper. Spicy, energetic and sharply focused on the palate, offering concentrated bitter cherry and floral pastille flavors that open up slowly with air. Distinctly northern Rhône in personality and texture, featuring a peppery, floral-dominated finish, smooth tannins and excellent closing thrust and persistence. The quality of this bottling consistently outpaces its price and appellation, and that's especially true in this vintage. - Josh Raynolds