Guigal - La Landonne 2016

It expresses itself beautifully in the glass, with powerful smoky and tobacco notes, generous and velvety tannins; it’s already delicious but will gain strength with a little more time.

Marcel and Philippe Guigal jointly lead the successful family business, which since 2017 has expanded significantly in the south, to Châteauneuf-du-Pape (77 hectares of owned vineyards), supplemented in the spring of 2022 by the 100 hectares of Château d’Aquéria. And, as always, the estate boasts a rich portfolio of vineyards in Côte Rôtie, Condrieu, Saint-Joseph, and Hermitage. Wine enthusiasts can savor some of the valley’s greatest vintages, not to mention the brilliant Côtes-du-Rhône—in all three colors—and Tavel, Philippe’s favorite wine.

In addition to its “treasures” in côte-rôtie, Hermitage, and Condrieu, the Guigal estate owns two beautiful plots in Saint-Joseph: the “Saint-Joseph” vineyard, which gave its name to the appellation, and the Vignes de l’Hospice, planted on a very steep granite hillside—a site already identified by the monks of the Hospice de Tournon—with a geological formation similar to that of the famous Bessards hill in Hermitage.

An iconic figure of the northern Rhône, Marcel Guigal is both a major wine merchant and a prominent winegrower. In the latter capacity, he cultivates famous vineyards in Côte Rôtie, such as La Mouline, La Turque, and La Landonne, not to mention La Doriane in Condrieu. A tireless worker with an insatiable intellectual curiosity, he succeeded his father, Etienne. Philippe Guigal, an oenologist representing the third generation, continues the family legacy alongside his father, maintaining this dual focus on estate winemaking and wine trading. Winemaking for the northern appellations takes place entirely in Ampuis.

The 2016 Côte Rôtie La Landonne shows a bit more grip than the last time I tasted it, with notes of green coffee beans on the nose alongside ripe black cherries and a host of dried spices. Medium-bodied to full-bodied, with great concentration and plenty of tannins, it should prove to be the longest-lasting of Guigal’s 2016 vintages.

 

The most iconic winery in the northern Rhône Valley needs no introduction. Under this umbrella, we bring together the wines from our own vineyards, which we thus distinguish from our wine merchant operations. This includes the famous trio from the “ Côte-Rôtie ”: La Mouline, La Turque, and La Landonne; the first two are brand names, while the last is a registered terroir. Added to these are the Château d’Ampuis cuvée and the Condrieu La Doriane. In addition to these star wines, there is the Vignes de l’Hospice cuvée—a Saint-Joseph situated on a magnificent terroir—as well as several premier plots in Hermitage from which the Ex-Voto cuvée is produced. Marcel Guigal is strongly supported by his son Philippe, who seems to be gently shifting the style of the wines, with aging practices that strike us as slightly less dominant. Needless to say, all these wines are built for long-term aging.

The 2016 Côte Rôtie La Landonne exemplifies the most elegant and classic style of the vintage. As always, it is 100% Syrah, sourced from a great terroir on the Côte Brune side of the appellation, and will age for 48 months in new French oak barrels. It displays the classic La Landonne notes of smoked meats, black fruits, and crushed rock, along with a full-bodied richness, surprising elegance and finesse for this cuvée (though that’s a hallmark of the vintage), perfect balance, and a beautiful finish. I suspect it will show early charm, but I would still recommend letting it age in the bottle for 7 to 8 years.