2019 Côte-Rôtie, La Mouline, E. Guigal, Rhône

Cask sample, tasted at the domaine. 

Vibrant blackberry with crushed roses and peaty smoke. A defined and linear plate with smoked bacon, wonderful depth of fruit and marked acidity. The fruit is dense, and smoky, with a graphite and pencil-lead-focused finish. Very long, fine, brooding and serious.

Drink 2025 - 2045

There's a touch of currant on the nose here which gives a very ripe impression. Cola oak dominates the palate at this early stage, and the finish is dry. It's powerful and structured, and the intense oak and alcohol combine to give a sweet effect on the finish. Attractive aromatics lie in wait underneath the oak, so give this time. Gneiss and loess soils of lieu-dit Côte Blonde. Fermented in stainless steel, aged for 40 months in new oak barriques.

Drink 2023 - 2045

While just as aromatic and charming on the nose—where ephemeral floral notes join ripe cherries—as previous years, the 2019 Cote Rotie La Mouline isn't quite as impressive on the palate. It's medium to full-bodied, silky and caressing, without the same power, yet it's supremely elegant.

Drink 2024 - 2035

Bright, highly perfumed blueberry, black raspberry, violet and exotic spice aromas, along with a wild touch of blood orange. Juicy and lithe on the palate, offering intense red and blue fruit flavours that stain the palate while showing little in the way of excess weight. Finishes extremely long and sweet, with a building floral note, even tannins and a late jolt of five-spice powder.

The 2019 Côte Rôtie La Mouline is a bigger, richer Côte Rôtie. Co-fermented with a solid chuck of Viognier and around 85% destemmed the same as the La Turque), this full-bodied effort has a kaleidoscope-like bouquet of bloody black and blue fruits, tapenade, salted meat, woodsmoke, and a touch of violets. This cuvée is always an exotic wine, and the 2019 is no exception, offering full-bodied richness, a layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, plenty of structure, and a great finish.

Drink 2019 - 2039