Wine enthusiasts from across the globe love to argue about anything related to wine tastes and flavors. However, most of those who are experts in wine tasting may agree to the fact that the ideal benchmark for quality in Northern Rhone is that to be compared with wines of Guigal Cote Rotie. The world-renowned producer of Cote Rotie is Domaine Guigal.
In fact, Guigal varieties are produced from a wide variety of appellations at the Rhone Valley, apart from Cote Rotie, the other appellations are:
- St. Joseph
- Crozes-Hermitage
- Chateauneuf du Pape
- Gigondas
- Tavel
- and Cotes du Rhone etc.
Guigal is one of the leading variants of Rhone valley. One most astonishing function about Guigal Cote Rotie is that almost 40% of all production in the appellation and all these are accomplished in lesser than 60 years. This is a great accomplishment considering the fact that most of the premium wine dynasties in Europe were started in the 1800s or earlier.
Preparation of Guigal Cote Rotie
In order to produce Guigal Cote Rotie, the manufacturers prefer picking the grapes late in order to allow them to attain the maximum phenolic maturity. It is the last harvest in the appellation. There are two teams of almost 50 workers to harvest the Cote Rotie’s grapes and determined destemming is also done at the time of the harvest. Some of the stems may also get included if they are fully ripe.
In order to produce Guigal Cote Rotie, wines are getting various treatments based on the terroir. From the Cote Blonde, these are just pumped over. The fruit from Cote Brune is much stronger, darker, and deeper than fruit from the Cote Blonde, so the wine is punched down in addition to being pumped over. For preparing the Guigal Cote Rotie, maceration and fermentation last for more than two to three weeks.
There are massive cellars to contain wine. One such cellar of Guigal may contain about 4000 French oak barrels and around ten 60-hectoliter oak barrels. The bigger barrels are ideally used for Chateauneuf du Pape. Barrel bottoms are made up of steel to ensure better hygiene. All the barrels used are old, and some of them may last for more than 50 years with repeated use.
Guigal now produces about five different Cote Rotie varieties, available at Sokolin Fine Wines. In order to produce top-notch Guigal Cote Rotie, each of variety needs unique treatment right from the grape sources through the process of vinification and aging.
Guigal La Mouline
Guigal La Mouline is one of the most erotic and exotic choices in wines on earth. It has an intoxicating scent which with spice, floral, pepper, bacon fat, truffle, earth, black and red fruit. The texture of this wine is so unique from any other category of wines in the world.
Guigal La Mouline is highly concentrated and polished, but not overpowering. It has a fine balance. In fact, Guigal La Mouline production is so limited, and nearly about 400 cases are only produced, which makes it so premium and costly.
These two Guigal choices can be made if you are planning for a rich and concentrated wine to be paired with a special day dinner of to gift to someone very special.
