Guigal

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History

Guigal was established in 1946 by tienne Guigal, who had worked for Vidal Fleury for 15 years before setting up his own business. It has been managed by his son Marcel Guigal since 1961. In 1984, Guigal bought Vidal Fleury but continues to operate it as a separate business. In 2000, Guigal bought and absorbed two other wineries: the estate Jean-Louis Grippat in Saint-Joseph and the Domaine de Vallouit, with vineyard holdings in Cte-Rtie, Hermitage, Saint-Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage, which added some high-end vineyards in other appellations to the Guigal range. In 2006 the Domaine de Bonserine was purchased by Guigal. In recent years, Marcel's son Philippe Guigal has been active as a winemaker at Guigal.

Guigal, under Marcel Guigal, came to international fame in the early- to mid-1980s when Robert M. Parker, Jr. followed by other wine critics heaped praise on Guigal's top Cte-Rtie wines, in particular the three single vineyard wines La Mouline, La Landonne and La Turque. Parker comments that "In the past 26 years I have spent visiting wineries and vignerons, I have never seen a producer so fanatical about quality as Marcel Guigal." This attention contributed to the Rhne wines' improved international fame in general, and in particular led Cte-Rtie to be seen more on par with Hermitage than in previous times. This also meant that the top Cte-Rtie wines increased in price to reach and later follow and sometimes surpass that of the top Hermitage wines. In 2006 Marcel Guigal was awarded the Decanter Man of the Year award for his contribution and dedication to the Rhne. dog feeding station

Wines and vineyard holdings natural dog shampoo

Four bottles of Guigal wine showing the different label designs. The two bottles on the left carry the standard Guigal label and the two bottles on the right are high-end wines with individual label designs. pet stroller carrier

Guigal produces a wide range of wine of all colours from both northern and southern Rhne appellations. These wines are sold under the appellation's name with similar-looking wine labels across the range.

The high-end wines, on the other hand, have individual labels of very varying design and mostly carry vineyard designations, sometimes an official lieu-dit and sometimes Guigal's own designation. These wines are only produced from Guigal's own vineyards.

Guigals total vineyard holdings is slightly over 45 hectares (110 acres), of which around half is in Cte-Rtie.

Of the 25,000 cases of wine typically made in the Condrieu appellation each vintage, around 45% is produced by Guigal.

Cte-Rtie wines

The Cte-Rtie wines, for which Guigal is most famous, are produced on three quality levels:

Brune et Blonde de Guigal (previously known as just Brune et Blonde), the basic Cte-Rtie carrying the names of the Cte Brune and Cte Blonde parts of the appellation, and featuring a standard Guigal label. Typically a blend of 4% Viognier and 96% Syrah.

Chteau d'Ampuis, a blend of six vineyards of Cte Brune and Cte Blonde, and priced between the Brune et Blonde and the vineyard-designated wines. Typically a blend of 7% Vigonier and 93% Syrah. Produced since the 1995 vintage, it is named after the 11th century fort and historical monument in Ampuis that was purchased in 1995, restored and setup as Guigal headquarters.

La Landonne, a vineyard-designated wine made from 100% Syrah, and therefore often the most tannic of the three top wines. Produced since the 1978 vintage.

La Mouline, a vineyard-designated wine from a parcel inside the lieu-dit Cte Blonde. Typically a blend of 11% Vigonier and 89% Syrah and therefore often the most floral of three top wines.

La Turque, a vineyard-designated wine from a parcel inside the lieu-dit Cte Brune. Typically a blend of 7% Vigonier and 93% Syrah and often described as intermediate between La Landonne and La Mouline in style.

For the vineyard Cte-Rties, Guigal has received more 100 point ratings by Robert M. Parker than any other single wine producer. As of 2009, this meant 21 wines, consisting of seven vintages of La Landonne (1985-2005), nine vintages of La Mouline (1976-2005), and five vintages of La Turque (1985-2005).

Other high-end wines

Condrieu La Doriane, from the three lieux-dits Cte Chatillon, Colombier and Coteau de Chry.

Condrieu Luminiscence, a sweet Condrieu only produced in some vintages.

Ermitage Ex Voto red, from old vines in the four lieux-dits Bessards, Greffieux, Murands and Hermite. 100% Syrah. Produced since the 2000 vintage.

Ermitage Ex Voto white, from old vines in the two lieux-dits Murets (90% of the wine) and Hermite (10% of the wine). Typically a blend of 90% Marsanne and 10% Roussanne. Produced since the 2001 vintage.

Saint-Joseph Lieu-dit Saint-Joseph red. 100% Syrah.

Saint-Joseph Lieu-dit Saint-Joseph white. Typically a blend of 95% Marsanne and 5% Roussanne.

Saint-Joseph Vignes de l'Hospice red. Produced from a formerly church-owned vineyard that was divided between the two estates of Grippat and Vallouit before it was bought by Guigal. 100% Syrah. Produced since the 1999 vintage and priced higher than the Lieu-dit Saint-Joseph wine.

References

^ a b c d e Jancis Robinson, ed (2006). "Guigal". Oxford Companion to Wine (Third Edition ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 336. ISBN 0-19-860990-6. 

^ WineAnorak - Spotlight on Cte Rtie

^ a b c Parker, Robert (2005). The World's Greatest Wine Estates. Simon & Schuster. pp. 361. ISBN 978-0-7432-3771-0. 

^ a b J. Molesworth "Guigal Sets Price Record for Rhne" Wine Spectator, Feb 8th, 2007

^ Wine Spectator - E. Guigal Buys Neighboring Domaine de Bonserine

^ Guigal: The Estate, accessed on January 6, 2010

^ Jancis Robinson - News from Ampuis

^ Guigal: The Vineyard, accessed on January 6, 2010

^ Guigal: The Wines - Cte-Rtie Brune et Blonde de Guigal, accessed on January 6, 2010

^ Jefford, Andrew (2006). The New France. Mitchell Beazley. p. 142. ISBN 978-1-84533-000-2. 

^ Guigal: The Wines - Cte-Rtie "Chteau d'Ampuis", accessed on January 6, 2010

^ Syrah du Monde - Chateau of Ampuis

^ Guigal: The Estate - Page 3

^ Guigal: The Wines - La Landonne, accessed on January 6, 2010

^ Guigal: The Wines - La Mouline, accessed on January 6, 2010

^ Guigal: The Wines - La Turque, accessed on January 6, 2010

^ eRobertParker, accessed on January 6, 2009

^ Guigal: The Wines - Condrieu - "La Doriane", accessed on January 6, 2009

^ Guigal: The Wines - Condrieu - "Luminiscence", accessed on January 6, 2009

^ Guigal: The Wines - Ermitage red - "Ex-Voto", accessed on January 6, 2009

^ Guigal: The Wines - Ermitage white - "Ex-Voto", accessed on January 6, 2009

^ Guigal: The Wines - Saint-Joseph red - "Lieu dit Saint-Joseph", accessed on January 6, 2009

^ Guigal: The Wines - Saint-Joseph white - "Lieu dit Saint-Joseph", accessed on January 6, 2009

^ Guigal: The Wines - Saint-Joseph red - "Vignes de l'Hospice", accessed on January 6, 2009

External links

Official website

Categories: Wineries of France