E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone Rose 2020

Within the Rhone, there is probably nobody quite as well known for quality and excellence as Etienne Guigal. The winery is easily one of the most recognizable, with their single-vineyard Côte-Rôties fetching nearly $1,000/btl and always receiving massive scores.

They also have some great values in their portfolio, whether it be a CDR, a Gigondas, or today’s wine, a lights out, highly scored CDR Rose.

The Guigals weren’t one of those who hopped on the Rose train either – they’ve been making serious dry pink wines since the 1940s, and a lot of their work with Roses has helped carry the category for years and years.

In the 2020 vintage, they made a particularly expressive Rose – a racy little dry number with notes of raspberry, citrus and macerated cherries with good balance and an abundance of freshness. It’s a 70% Grenache, 20% Cinsault, 10% Syrah blend that’s pretty typical for the Rhone, and like most wines made at Guigal it has a 90+ review to accompany the release.