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2003 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne Côte-Rôtie Rhône France Wine Tasting Note

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2003
E. Guigal La Landonne  (Côte-Rôtie)
98
The wine is sublime. The smoky nose, with its wealth of crushed rocks, dark plums, licorice, spice and herbs grabs your initial focus. But once the wine hits your palate, you are riveted to the layers of rich, ripe, dense, opulently textured, dark cherries, plums, wet earth, thyme, spice and herbs. The wine coats your palate, but never feels heavy. There is no sensation of heat, dryness or corpulence. Decanted about 1 hour, the wine rocked!

The wine is sublime. The smoky nose, with its wealth of crushed rocks, dark plums, licorice, spice and herbs grabs your initial focus. But once the wine hits your palate, you are riveted to the layers of rich, ripe, dense, opulently textured, dark cherries, plums, wet earth, thyme, spice and herbs. The wine coats your palate, but never feels heavy. There is no sensation of heat, dryness or corpulence. Decanted about 1 hour, the wine rocked!

5,547 Views   Tasted
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Youthful, but still quite impressive, the wine is richly textured, full-bodied, multi-dimensional, with layers of black and dark red fruits that just keep on coming. There is lift, length and depth, with an opulent textural component. With so much ripe fruit and soft tannins, you can drink this now, but I am holding on to my bottles until perhaps, 2023.

Youthful, but still quite impressive, the wine is richly textured, full-bodied, multi-dimensional, with layers of black and dark red fruits that just keep on coming. There is lift, length and depth, with an opulent textural component. With so much ripe fruit and soft tannins, you can drink this now, but I am holding on to my bottles until perhaps, 2023.

5,022 Views   Tasted
Close to off the charts, this stunning wine delivers a deeply colored, full bodied, fat, intense drinking experience, with loads of smoke, licorice, incense, caramel and blackberry liqueur essences. I'd give this another 5-8 years in the bottle and it should really rock your world.

Close to off the charts, this stunning wine delivers a deeply colored, full bodied, fat, intense drinking experience, with loads of smoke, licorice, incense, caramel and blackberry liqueur essences. I'd give this another 5-8 years in the bottle and it should really rock your world.

5,587 Views   Tasted
At 12 years of age, this is still young. It's all about the promise. And there is a lot of promise here. The wine needs time, perhaps another decade. Else, give it a 3/4 hours of air. There is an ocean of concentrated, ripe, fresh, sweet fruit, silky, smooth tannins and a finish that could last close to 60 seconds. But it's quite unevolved today. This bottle was given very little air. A bottle last year, with a few hours of air (was as hard as this is to believe), even more expressive.

At 12 years of age, this is still young. It's all about the promise. And there is a lot of promise here. The wine needs time, perhaps another decade. Else, give it a 3/4 hours of air. There is an ocean of concentrated, ripe, fresh, sweet fruit, silky, smooth tannins and a finish that could last close to 60 seconds. But it's quite unevolved today. This bottle was given very little air. A bottle last year, with a few hours of air (was as hard as this is to believe), even more expressive.

5,524 Views   Tasted
Potentially this is the wine of the year for me, and it's only October! There are great wines, and there is 2003 Guigal La Landonne. For years, La Mouline stood at the top of the Guigal pyramid to me. But this bottle took me by surprise! Picture liquefied minerals, thyme, fresh, ultra ripe boysenberries, earth, violets and black raspberry blended into an intoxicating perfume. Add layer after layer of perfectly ripe fruit, a hint of cocoa, spice, sweetness and purity, with all the lift you'll ever need, yet it's able to keep it's fleshy, sensuous texture on your palate for well over 60 seconds! Most expensive wines are overpriced. This is the real deal!

Potentially this is the wine of the year for me, and it's only October! There are great wines, and there is 2003 Guigal La Landonne. For years, La Mouline stood at the top of the Guigal pyramid to me. But this bottle took me by surprise! Picture liquefied minerals, thyme, fresh, ultra ripe boysenberries, earth, violets and black raspberry blended into an intoxicating perfume. Add layer after layer of perfectly ripe fruit, a hint of cocoa, spice, sweetness and purity, with all the lift you'll ever need, yet it's able to keep it's fleshy, sensuous texture on your palate for well over 60 seconds! Most expensive wines are overpriced. This is the real deal!

5,872 Views   Tasted
Tight as a… OK, I’ll say drum. With coaxing, crushed stone, blackberry, flowers, herbs, forest floor, bay leaf and herb scents, this is the most powerful of the trio. The wine coats every nook and cranny of your palate with voluptuous layers of fat, dense, rich, dark, mineral driven fruits. Deep and concentrated, this is intensity matched with purity and power. Masculine, yet graceful, this stunning wine should last longer than most people reading this note.

Tight as a… OK, I’ll say drum. With coaxing, crushed stone, blackberry, flowers, herbs, forest floor, bay leaf and herb scents, this is the most powerful of the trio. The wine coats every nook and cranny of your palate with voluptuous layers of fat, dense, rich, dark, mineral driven fruits. Deep and concentrated, this is intensity matched with purity and power. Masculine, yet graceful, this stunning wine should last longer than most people reading this note.

5,860 Views   Tasted

When to Drink Guigal Cote Rotie, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Some Guigal Cote Rotie can be enjoyed on the young side. The Brune & Blondeshould be decanted at least 1 hour or more, Guigal Ampuis 1-3 hours and the Guigal La La's can be decanted 3-4 hours when young, allowing the wines to soften and open their perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

Guigal Cote Rotie is usually better with 3-5 years of cellaring for the Brune & Blonde, 5-10 years of cellaring for the Guigal Ampuis, and the top 3 wines, the La La's need at least 12-15 years of cellaring. At their best, the top Cote Rotie from Guigal can evolve for 25-45 years of age, depending on the wine and the vintage.

Serving Guigal Cote Rotie with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Guigal is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

Guigal is best paired with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted braised, barbecue, and grilled dishes. Heavy dishes like Chinese or Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, salmon, mushrooms, sausage, cassoulet, tomatoes, eggplant, and pasta are perfect for Guigal Cote Rotie wines.

Condrieu, the white wine from Guigal is just right for a myriad of fish, shellfish, seafood, and raw courses like sashimi and sushi, as well as cheese.

Yes, I know the Guigal La La wines are tremendously expensive. But they offer some of the best wine-tasting experiences from any vineyard in any country! They are also in contention to win an award as the most consistently outstanding wine in the world.

In the vast majority of vintages, these wines are truly stunning. Next, consider that they are produced in incredibly small amounts, ranging from 400 to 800 cases for the entire world. Fans of these wines are lucky, as the extraordinary high quality, character, and tiny production have not really caught on with most consumers.

Frankly, these wines sell for prices that are cheap for all they offer. If you're ever going to buy expensive wine, to see what all the fuss is about, these are the wines to buy!

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