Millésime 2007

Wine Advocate #193 - Feb 2011

Score : (92-94)

As I have mentioned before, the Cote Rotie Chateau d’Ampuis is a blend of some of the very best sites the Guigal family owns in Cote Rotie. This cuvee is aged 38 months in 100% new oak casks, and about 2,000 cases are produced. The component parts include the famed vineyards of La Garde, L’Enclos, Grande-Plantee, Pommiere, Pavillon, Le Moulin and more recently, La Viria, which I still believe will turn out to be Guigal’s fourth single vineyard Cote Rotie when Marcel and his son, Philippe, decide it can stand alone. A super effort, the 2007 reveals notes of black raspberries, ground pepper, lard, roasted coffee, herbs and cassis as well as hints of licorice and tapenade, and sweet tannin. It is one of the most aromatically complex Chateau d’Ampuis Cote Roties I have ever tasted. The silkiness of the tannins and the up-front forwardness of the wine suggest it should be drunk over the next 10-12 years. Drink: 2011 - 2023. Robert Parker.