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97 WA.
"More ripe, voluptuous and decadent, the 2009 Côte-Rôtie Château d’Ampuis offers rocking dark fruits, cured meats, dried flowers, licorice and toasty/graphite-like qualities to go with a full-bodied, pedal-to-the-metal style on the palate. Gaining more and more freshness as it sat in the glass, this prodigious effort can be consumed anytime over the coming 2-3 decades. One of the reference point estates for top quality wines in the world today, the family run Guigal operation was created in 1946 by Etienne Guigal. Today, Etienne’s son, Marcel, and his son Philippe, are firmly in control here, and are without a doubt producing some of the most singular, sought after wines in the world . . . . Stepping up over the Brune et Blonde, the Côte-Rôtie Château d’Ampuis is named after the Château d’Ampuis estate (which lies in the town of Ampuis, right up along the Rhône River, and was purchased by the Guigals in 1995) and is a blend of their top estate vineyards. Coming from La Garde, Le Clos, Grande-Plantée, Pommiere, Pavillon, Le Moulin and La Viria, it spends close to four years in new French oak (handled just like the single vineyard releases) . . . . While the single vineyard releases get all the buzz, this is isn’t far behind in quality, especially in recent vintages, and can represent an incredible value. eRobertParker.com #214, Aug 2014 |