| Region of production: | Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu, Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage |
| Winery Location: | Ampuis |
| Year Established: | 1946 |
Vineyard Holdings
6.48 ha
50 ha total
Côte-Rôtie: 32 ha
- Côte Brune: includes 1 ha La Turque section, planted in 1980
- La Landonne: 2.1 ha, oldest vines planted in 1974
- Côte Blonde: includes 1 ha La Mouline section, average age 60 years
- Côte Rozier
- Rozier
- Verenay
- La Viallière
Condrieu: 3.75 ha, decomposed granite and arzelle
- Le Colombier: planted in 1973
- Châtillon: planted in 1983
- Volan
Hermitage: 3.5 ha
- Greffieux: Syrah, average age 30 years
- Bessards: Syrah, average age 90 years
- les Murets: 1.2 ha Marsanne, planted in 1942; 0.3 ha Syrah, average age 30 years
- L’Hermite: mostly Syrah with a small amount of Marsanne, average age 40-50 years
Saint-Joseph: 8.0 ha
- Vignoble de l’Hospice: Syrah planted in 1900, 1913, 1955, 1998
- Le Clos des Hospitaliers: Syrah
- Saint-Joseph: 3 ha Syrah, 2.5 ha Marsanne with a small amount of Roussanne
Top Wines Produced
- Côte-Rôtie “Château d’Ampuis”: 93% Syrah, 7% Viognier; from three lieux-dits in Côte Blonde (source of all of the Viognier) and four lieux-dits in Côte Brune; average vine age is 40-50 years
- Côte-Rôtie “La Mouline”: 89% Syrah, 11% Viognier; sourced from a plot of the same name on the Côte Blonde, average vine age is 60 years
- Côte-Rôtie “La Landonne”: 100% Syrah; average vine age is 20 years
- Côte-Rôtie “La Turque”: 93% Syrah, 7% Viognier; sourced from an extremely steep plot on Côte Brune, planted in 1980
- Ermitage Blanc “Ex-Voto”: 93% Marsanne, 7% Roussanne; 90% from Murets, 10% from l’Hermite
- Ermitage Rouge “Ex-Voto”: 30% each Bessards and Greffieux; 20% each l’Hermite and Murets
Inaugural Vintages
- Côte-Rôtie “Château d’Ampuis” in 1995
- Côte-Rôtie “La Mouline” in 1966
- Côte-Rôtie “La Landonne” in 1978
- Côte-Rôtie “La Turque” in 1985
- Ermitage Blanc and Rouge“Ex-Voto” in 2001
Average Total Production
- 1,080,000 bottles of Northern Rhône wines, including négociant offerings
Summary
This world famous house was founded in 1946 by Étienne Guigal, who’d gotten his start in Côte-Rôtie at age 14 when he worked in the vineyards of Vidal-Fleury. Étienne’s son Marcel joined him in 1961 (age 18) after Étienne was suddenly struck blind. Together, they built the house of Guigal into the most recognizable name in Côte-Rôtie, and they brought the world’s attention to the wines of the appellation. In 1984, the two bought out Étienne’s former employer, Vidal-Fleury, along with their impressive array of vineyard and in subsequent years, they went on to expand by buying Domaine de Bonserine, JL Grippat, de Vallouit, and the Château d’Ampuis. They folded the vineyards of Grippat and de Vallouit into their own production while keeping Domaine de Bonserine and Vidal-Fleury operating as separate entities. In addition, they now have their own cooperage to better control the quality of the wood for their aging program. While their very modern wines have not always been the favorite style of the older generation in Côte-Rôtie, Guigal has generally received a tip of the chapeau for the attention they brought to Côte-Rôtie and the continuing success of the appellation.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Guigal is credited as a pioneer in bringing modern winemaking techniques to the Northern Rhône. The house favors lush, ripe fruit supported by long aging in new barriques. This culminates in the “La La” bottlings (La Mouline, La Landonne and La Turque) and “Ex Voto” red, all of which are aged for 42 months in 100% new oak. For the white wines, the Viogniers are macerated on the skins overnight before pressing, while the Marsanne and Roussanne grapes are immediately whole-cluster pressed. The top whites, Condrieu “La Doriane” and Ermitage “Ex Voto,” are vinified and aged in 100% new oak; the rest have a portion vinified in stainless steel prior to oak aging. The reds are sometimes de-stemmed, sometimes not, depending on vintage conditions.
Producer Website: E. Guigal