E. Guigal Cote Rotie La La La 2018 Three-Pack Vertical

100 Points, Parker’s Wine Advocate (La Mouline)
Guigal’s 2018 Cote Rotie La Mouline boasts incredible aromatics, with highs ranging from violets and peppery spice to ripe blueberries and raspberries. The oak is in the background, supporting the supple fruit. Full-bodied, lush and silky, La Mouline seems to have it all in 2018. Tasting at Guigal is always one of the highlights of my Northern Rhône trip. Because of the family’s breadth of production and hallmark long élevage, it provides a chance to look at several vintages together, along with commentary from the knowledgeable patriarch, Marcel Guigal. This year, I was joined by Marcel, his son Philippe and Jacques Desvernois, hired away from Jaboulet in the summer of 2018, for a five-hour marathon in the chilly cellar beneath the company’s headquarters in Ampuis. Despite the cool temperatures, there were smiles all around at the quality of the samples on the table. “Global warming has been fabulous for the Northern Rhône,” said Marcel at one point.

100 Points, Parker’s Wine Advocate (La Landonne)
Another candidate for perfection, the 2018 Cote Rotie La Landonne has more of everything. More spice, more florals, more dark fruit, more concentration, more length—you get the idea. Violets accent black cherries in this full-bodied wine, which must be the easiest (98 – 100) rating I’ve ever given. Tasting at Guigal is always one of the highlights of my Northern Rhône trip. Because of the family’s breadth of production and hallmark long élevage, it provides a chance to look at several vintages together, along with commentary from the knowledgeable patriarch, Marcel Guigal. This year, I was joined by Marcel, his son Philippe and Jacques Desvernois, hired away from Jaboulet in the summer of 2018, for a five-hour marathon in the chilly cellar beneath the company’s headquarters in Ampuis.

100 Points, Jeb Dunnuck (La Turque)
The 2018 Côte Rôtie La Turque offers meatier, more savory, mineral-driven aromatics yet has an incredible core of pure cassis and darker fruits. A straight-up massive wine, it has a stacked mid-palate, terrific freshness, and again, a purity of fruit that’s just off the chart. Despite its overall size and richness, it’s weightless and as graceful as a ballerina. It always needs more time to come around compared to the La Mouline and generally starts to drink beautifully a decade after the vintage.