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News
97-99 points Jeb Dunnuck
Probably the wine of the vintage is the 2014 Côte Rôtie La Landonne, a beauty that gives up everything you could want from Côte Rôtie. Cassis, tobacco leaf, graphite, crushed rocks and peppery meat notes all emerge from this concentrated, full-bodied 2014 that has a Bordeaux like tannin structure. It certainly bucks the vintage stereotype and has real density and depth. Give bottles 3-5 years and enjoy over the following 20-25 years.
96-98 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Cote Rotie La Landonne offers complex aromas of smoke, pressed flowers, cured meats, black olives and asphalt. Full-bodied, rich and quite firm, it doesn’t show the early appeal of the other 2014s, yet it should ultimately be the pick of the three and the most long-lived. Impressive.
Wine Description
The Story
100% Syrah from Côte Brûne hillside known for its limestone clay soils with very rich in iron oxide.
In order to enhance quality the Guigals worked to acquire ownership in vineyards. Purchased in 1965, the just under one-hectare La Mouline plantation, which is located on the slopes of Côte Blonde, set the stage for the Guigals’ present reputation. Introduced the very next year, the La Mouline single-vineyard proved to be a smashing success, and the active acquisition of vineyards continued. However, it would be more than 10 years before the Guigals introduced their next single-vineyard wine, the La Landonne, in 1978. Just over 2 hectares in size, the plot was purchased piece by piece from 17 different small-scale growers.
The Guigals finally revealed their true greatness in 1984 when they acquired the oldest winemaker in the Rhône, Etienne’s former employer, Vidal-Fleury. This significant acquisition instantly made the Guigals the leading producer in the Côte-Rôtie region, giving them a 35% share of the entire region’s output. This new acquisition also gave the Guigals ownership of Vidal-Fleury’s La Turque plot. Introduced in 1985, the La Turque cemented Guigal’s reputation as one of the most prestigious producers of single-vineyard wines in the Rhône. The single-vineyard wines gave the Guigals the authority that helped them to profile their production from the Côtes-du-Rhône wines on. This is how Guigal evolved into the region's leading commercial AOC brand, whose only real contender is, for the time being, Paul Jaboulet Ainé.
A 5.7 acre site planted entirely with Syrah, Guigal’s La Landonne has been produced since 1978, after being planted in 1975 at the time of Philippe Guigal’s birth. Guigal acquired the vineyard from numerous small owners, building their holding parcel by parcel over a decade. The vineyard is one of the steepest of the Côte Brune, a 45 degree slope of limestone clay very rich in iron oxide.
La Landonne is at the northern end of the Côte Brune and is the last vineyard to ripen, consequently its stems achieve full maturation and grapes are never destemmed.
The wine is continuously pumped over, and alcoholic fermentation and maceration last around 4 weeks. Aging is for 42 months in new oak barrels made at the Chateau d’Ampuis cooperage.
La Landonne is typically the most tannic, structured, powerful and intensely concentrated of the Guigal single-vineyard Côte-Rôties. It has great aging potential and is usually thought to take the longest to mature, though it rewards patience with its singular combination of fortitude and finesse.
Wine Information
After a warm Spring, vintage seemed all set to be early. However summer’s cooler and rainier than average weather delayed vine growth and grape maturation. In the end the Chateauneuf du Pape red harvest started in the middle of September and lasted until early October, whilst the bulk of the Northern Rhone’s hillside sites were picked during the last week of September. This meant that the grapes’ hang time was long and they therefore reached full phenolic maturity, resulting in wines that display incredibly silky textures and luscious, soft tannins. Another feature of the vintage, thanks to it being cooler than average, is the tremendous vibrancy and relatively low alcohol levels – up to 1% less than average in the Chateauneuf wines. This long hang time and a fine September really made the vintage. There was a downpour of rain on the 18th September and although the northern plains flooded, the slopes of Cornas, St Joseph, Hermitage and Cote Rotie drained rapidly – the great terroirs really showed their worth in 2014.
If there is one major blot on 2014’s copy book, though, is the wretched fruit fly. There was a strong attack of them as harvest approached which dictated that the strictest and most back-breaking of selections be carried out (at least, by those estates wanting to make good wine.) Up to 30% of the crop was lost thanks to the rigorous sorting that was carried out. These wines may not have the concentration of the 2013s but they are a clear level up from 2012 (in the northern Rhone. By contrast 2012 in the south was one of THE great Grenache vintages.) In general the 2014s absolutely thrill and charm with their elegance and ripe, refreshing fruit. It will be an earlier drinking vintage than most, but who cares the more pleasure the sooner, so much the better! For the reds, there are no hard edges or pointy acidities, they deliver pure enjoyment. For the whites, particularly Condrieu, this is an excellent vintage that offers a rare blend of vitality, refinement and ripeness.