E. GUIGAL CÔTES du RHÔNE 2018

Guigal Cotes du Rhone is easily our biggest selling French red. Every year it comes through offering plenty of everything at a very affordable price from one of the Rhone Valley's most famed and respected winemakers. This is one of those of those wines that's great to have on hand as it suits virtually every occasion.

Winery notes (2018 Vintage)
"Deep dark red and shiny dress. Nose of black fruits marked by notes of spices. Full- bodied wine, full and racy. Tannins rounded, very coated but present in the mouth. This wine is distinguished by its size, heat and aromatic intensity.Complete wine, good persistence. Elegance and finesse due to a nice balance between tannins and fruits."

5 Stars & 93/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, March 2022 (2018 Vintage)
"Beautifully styled and classic in structure, the wine shows ripe fruit richness with cake spice, cured meat and walnut characters, leading to a wonderfully weighted palate offering silky mouthfeel and savoury undertones. Satisfying and comforting with a prolonged velvety finish. At its best: now to 2028."

93/100 Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review, March 2022 (2018 Vintage)
"I can never open a bottle of Guigal Côte du Rhône without being surprised by its extraordinary value and consistency – and it’s available worldwide. A classic blend of syrah, grenache and mourvèdre grapes. Intense dark berry, dark cherry, black pepper, anise, spice, violet and tobacco leaf. A delicious wine that offers perfect drinking now."

91/100 Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (2018 Vintage)
"Looking more complex and complete than the 2017 at this point, the 2018 Cotes du Rhone still has a year or so of élevage ahead of it. It has a slightly herbal, briary note, dark berry fruit and hints of mocha on the full-bodied palate. Round and fleshy, it finishes smooth and velvety."

91/100 Jeb Dunnuck (2018 Vintage)
"The 2018 Côtes du Rhône, which is a slightly more Syrah-dominated blend, offers more peppery, earthy notes as well as plenty of dark blue fruits, medium body, notable elegance, and solid balance. It’s a charming, attractive barrel sample that should drink nicely on release."

Reviews for previous vintages below…

90/100 Vinous (2017 Vintage)
"Saturated ruby. Ripe black raspberry and cherry aromas are complicated by suggestions of cracked pepper, allspice and pungent flowers. Supple, appealingly sweet red and blue fruit preserve flavours gain energy with air, and a bright mineral element adds back-end lift. Supple tannins add shape to a persistent, floral-accented finish, which leaves cherry and spice notes behind."

91/100 Gary Walsh, The Wine Front, November 2019 (2015 Vintage)
"Spice, liquorice, dark fruit but with some raspberry juiciness folded through, along with a musky perfume and dried herb. It’s fleshy and ripe, but stays even and balanced, tannin pulls a little dry and grainy, yet sits neatly inside the folds of dark berry and more savoury flavours on offer. Finish is good too. It’s a lovely glass of wine here."

90/100 & Best Buy, Wine Enthusiast, September 2018 (2015 Vintage)
"Ripe but restrained, fruity yet elegant, this richly concentrated red offers luscious black cherry and berry flavours nuanced by hints of earth, smoke and spice. The palate is rich and fleshy but anchored by taut acidity and a finely edged backbone of tannins."

90/100 JamesSuckling.com (2016 Vintage)
"Very brambly, rich and attractive tobacco, red and dark fruit and wild herbs. The palate has richness and an attractive feel with great core flesh and balance. The combination of quality, good value and accessibility here make this quite unique. Drink now."