A great wine for the price that is widely available, including at some Costco locations. We review the E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone Rouge.
50% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre from vines with an average age of 35 years throughout the southern Rhone Valley of France. The wine is aged 24-30 months in neutral oak.
Sample submitted for review. The E Guigal Cotes du Rhone Red has an SRP of $18 and is available for as low as $13 including at many Costco locations for $12.99. It is imported by Vintus LLC and 4.5 million bottles were produced.
The Guigal family owns some of the most hallowed vineyards in the Rhône Valley and the world and makes some of the most sought-after wines in the world. Yet you are undoubtedly more likely to spend time with them speaking about their 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 the Guigals occupy in the Rhône Valley, 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.
The Guigal Côtes du Rhône Rouge offers tremendous warmth, spice and pleasure, but in a decidedly individual fashion. It is, unlike virtually every other Côtes du Rhône, based on Syrah, a Northern Rhône approach that lends greater aromatic intensity and structure, though is far more difficult and costly to produce in the Southern Rhône. The aging also goes far other wine in the appellation in its category, a minimum of two years in a combination of stainless steel and foudres, with a deliberate blending over the course of that time that results in a wine of remarkable harmony and complexity. It is an extraordinary value and a benchmark for the region from one of the world’s most lauded producers.
15% Alcohol
The 2019 E Guigal Cotes du Rhone Red opens with a pleasing aroma of blackberry and red berry fruit along with a little peppery spice and a touch of a garrigue.
This is a smooth, tasty medium to full-bodied wine that's led by the Syrah. Featuring good balance, it has similar flavors to the nose. It could perhaps use a tad more structure and depth but really that's just nit-picking as this is a great wine for the price. It gets even better after a couple hours of air.
It ends dry, savory and with good length plus a nice little burst of spice at the very end.
2019 E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone Rouge
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