Cote Roti La Mouline 2021 E.Guigal

Tasting Notes

First, the aromas are impressive. Violet, white pepper, apricot flavors from Viognier against a background of dark raspberry and crushed blackberry. The palate is medium-bodied, not the blockbuster style of warmer years, with silky tannins and a savory, almost iron-like mineral edge that emerges on the long floral finish. 2021 La Moulin shows Côte Blonde at its most elegant. I think it is. Cool, lifted, and complete.

Grape Varieties

Blend.

• 89% Syrah
• 11% Viognier

Why ferment white grapes with black grapes? Viognier stabilizes the color of Syrah and gives it an aromatic lift. La Moulin has the highest percentage of Viognier of the three Guigal "La" wines, making it the most aromatic and least astringent of the three.

Cellaring Potential

The best time is between 2028 and 2050: the 2021 wines are lower in alcohol and higher in acidity than the 2019 and 2020 wines, and their acid base and long aging in new oak barrels will make these very wines last for decades. Drinkable from about 2028 with a long decanting; store at 12-14°C.

The Producer

Etienne Guigal started picking apricots in Ampuis as a boy and managed the cellars of Vidal Fleury before founding his own house in 1946. Three generations later, Philippe Guigal is now in charge of winemaking. So why is Guigal as important as the family history? They built the modern prestige of Côte Rotie, and when Robert Parker discovered the wines of Lara in the 1980s, the appellation's worldwide fame followed. We sell Guigal wines because few estates combine such scale with such precision in their treatment of individual vineyards.

Terroir & Climate

La Mouline is located in the southern half of the Côte Rôtie, on the Côte Blonde, where the soil is decomposed fine shale mixed with sand and limestone. Why it matters. Compared to the iron-rich soils of the Côte Brun, the Blonde are lighter and sandier, producing more floral and aromatic wines. In addition, the steep, south-facing terraces (in some places the gradient is as high as 60 degrees), the warm air of the Rhone below, and the cool local breezes of Béziers combine to produce fully ripe wines without the roasted notes found in the hot southern sites.

Winemaking

The decisive factor here is elevage. La Mouline is aged for about 42 months in 100% new French oak barrels (225 liter Bordeaux-type barrels) from Guigal's own cooperage in Ampuis. This is a huge amount of new oak and time, but the wine has enough concentration to absorb it. Prior to that, the Syrah and Viognier are co-fermented in closed stainless steel tanks for three weeks while being pumped over. Late harvest, ripe phenols, and years of patient aging.

Food Pairing

Flavor and silky tannins call for gibier or slow-cooked meat, not charred steak. There are several varieties that go well with it:

• Roasted crowfish with thyme sauce, whose floral notes complement the Viognier.
• Saddle of venison with black pepper.
• Slow-roasted shoulder of lamb.
• Aged Comté or Beaufort

Decant for 60-90 minutes; serve at 16-17°C.