The colour is deep garnet. Complex nose of raw meat, plumbs, rosemary, burned wood, baking spices. In the mouth fresh, fine tannins, well balanced and savoury. The aftertaste last for quite a while.
It is a wine that with time keeps evolving: a delight to drink!
This wine is made by Guigal, a domain founded in 1946 by Etienne Guigal. In 1961, a still very young Marcel Guigal took over management of the domain when his father was struck by temporary but total blindness. Today, Marcel’s son Philippe is the domain’s oenologist. In 2003, the Guigals started making their own barrels. Nowadays, around 800 new barrels are made each year.
Brune et Blonde is the classic wine of the estate and of the Côte- Rôtie appellation. The grapes, a blend of 96% Syrah and 4% Viognier, are sourced from the steep slopes of both the Côte Brune, with its dark iron rich soils, and the Côte Blonde, with its light limestone soils.
In Switzerland this bottle currently sells for 91 CHF. I don’t remember how much I paid in France when I bought this bottle seven years ago, but it may have been almost half of today’s price.
Country: France
Region: Côte-Rôtie
Grapes: Syrah, Viognier
Type: Red
Vintage: 2009
Producer: E. Guigal
Price range: Extra (50-100 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 5/5