Reviews
-Jeb Dunnuck -
-Wine Enthusiast -
-Vinous -
-James Suckling -
-Robert Parker's Wine Advocate -
-Wine Spectator -
Technical Details
- 93% Syrah and 7% Viognier
- Marcel Guigal and Philippe Guigal
- France
- Rhône Valley
- Northern Rhône
- Côte-Rôtie
- Sourced from 7 hillside parcels across Côte Blonde (Le Clos, La Garde, La Grande Plantée) and Côte Brune (La Pommière, Le Pavillon Rouge, Le Moulin, La Viria) with an average vine age of 50 years
- Sustainable practices
- 100% new French oak
- Fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats, with cap punchdown and pump over
- 38 months in 100% new French oak
- 14.5%
E. Guigal Château d'Ampuis Côte Rôtie 2018
Sustainable practices
31% OFF RETAIL!
Château d’Ampuis is Guigal’s assembled masterpiece, a Côte-Rôtie drawn from seven of the appellation’s most historic lieux-dits spanning both the Brune and Blonde slopes, with vines averaging 50 years of age. The blend is 93% Syrah with 7% co-fermented Viognier, aged 38 months in new French oak barrels hand-made at the Château. The 2018 vintage was one of the hottest in recent memory on the Northern Rhône, and Château d’Ampuis responded with what many critics are calling one of the finest expressions of this cuvée in decades. When Jeb Dunnuck tasted it from barrel, he declared it “certainly in the same league as the famed La Las,” then awarded it 97 points in bottle. Wine Enthusiast followed at 97, landing it at No. 15 on their 2023 Top 100 Cellar Selections list. Vinous awarded 96, describing a glass-staining violet color with expansive black and blue fruit, licorice, incense, and floral qualities on a powerfully scented nose. James Suckling scored it 96, pointing to a very deep, smoky and spicy nose with delicate notes of coconut and pomegranate, a very long, polished finish with delicate sweetness and underplayed power. Wine Advocate came in at 95+, noting that despite 38 months in new oak the wine still exudes blackberries and blueberries as a testament to its concentration, calling it full-bodied and rich yet silky and long, with hints of mocha and brown sugar on the finish. The price here is incredibly well-positioned for Guigal of this caliber. Very limited. Don’t miss it.