Côte-Rôtie · Rhône Valley · E. Guigal
Guigal, Côte-Rôtie: La Mouline, La Landonne, La Turque
Guigal's three single-vineyard Côte-Rôtie wines: where they come from, what sets them apart, how long to keep them and what to serve them with. They are not on Transvins' price list at the moment: Transvins sources them on request, and the quote gives the vintages found and their price.
The “La La” wines on request
Tell us the wine, the vintage if you have one in mind, and the number of bottles. These wines are released in very small quantities: nothing is guaranteed before the quote.
Three vineyards, one house
The “La La” wines, as enthusiasts call them: three single-vineyard wines, in small quantities.
La Mouline
On the Côte Blonde, in terraces. Syrah with a share of viognier, a white grape, co-fermented: the most fragrant and silkiest of the three. First vintage: 1966.
La Landonne
On the Côte Brune, dark schists. Syrah alone: the darkest, the most tannic, the slowest to open up.
La Turque
Also on the Côte Brune, with a little viognier. In between the two: the power of La Landonne, some of the perfume of La Mouline.
The Guigal house, in Ampuis, at the foot of the Côte-Rôtie slopes, made the appellation known around the world. Its three single-vineyard wines are aged for more than three years in new barrels and are among the most sought-after reds in France.
Transvins is a Bordeaux wine merchant: outside Bordeaux, the selection is short and made up of great names. From Guigal, the price list currently has only a Hermitage; the Côte-Rôtie wines are requested through a quote.
The three wines come from three distinct terroirs. La Mouline grows on terraced vines shaped like a Roman amphitheatre, on pale gneiss mixed with calcareous loess; the vines are around a hundred years old, 89% syrah and 11% viognier. La Landonne, planted in 1975, the year Philippe Guigal was born, sits on a schist and clay soil very rich in iron oxides and manganese; the syrah there is vinified as whole bunches. La Turque, a Côte Brune with hints of the Blonde, grows on mica schists weathered into ferruginous clays: 93% syrah, 7% viognier. All three spend 40 months in new barrels.
What to serve it with
- Game: venison, hare, wild boar in sauce (wine with game).
- Lamb slow-cooked for seven hours, with sweet spices (wine with lamb), rib of beef (wine with beef).
- With cheese: aged hard cheeses (wine with cheese).
Which vintage for which occasion
For a lover of great wines who already knows Bordeaux, a surprise: the three “La La” wines from the same year, side by side, if the quote finds them. As a gift, see which wine to give. For a birthday, ask for the year of birth in the quote (birth-year vintage).
Why “La La”?
Because all three names begin with “La”. The nickname comes from English-speaking enthusiasts.
How long should you keep a “La La”?
Ten years before opening it, thirty years and more of good form in the good vintages. Decant it an hour before serving, leaving the sediment at the bottom. It is a general rule, not a tasting note.
What is Côte-Rôtie?
An appellation in the northern Rhône Valley, south of Vienne, on very steep south-east-facing slopes. Syrah dominates, sometimes with a little viognier, a white grape, vinified with it.
How do I get a price?
Through the quote request: the wine, the vintage you want, the number of bottles. Transvins comes back with what it has found and a price per bottle incl. VAT; delivery is extra, and its grid gives lead times.