Guigal - La Landonne 2011

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.

Perhaps the wine of the vintage—and another contender for perfection—this 2011 Côte Rôtie La Landonne possesses a level of complexity and intensity usually reserved for La Mouline. Offering thrilling notes of dried flowers, olives, earth, bacon fat, blackcurrant, and blackberry, it displays a massive tannic core, with enough fruit, texture, and concentration to stand up to it. I think it will be approachable upon release by the standards of this cuvée, but it will also provide great pleasure over the next 2 to 3 decades.

 

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.