On the nose at first the wine smells very meaty, even gamy. After a while, the blood sensation decreases and leaves space to a more complex and appetising bouquet of grilled meat, rosemary and lavender. In the mouth well rounded, filling and very pleasant. The aftertaste is dominated by beeswax and rosemary. Overall the wine displays lots of power and intensity, but at the same time is very elegant.
I first discovered the legendary La-La-La Guigal trio in 2015, when with a couple of friends I tasted this three single vineyard wines in a row, along the Aussie Penfolds Grange. On the stage were La Mouline 1997, La Turque 1997 and La Landonne 1995, three outstanding bottles that gave me one of the best wine tasting experiences of my life so far. The fact that 1995 and 1997 are among the best vintages of Guigal Côte Rôtie, certainly played a role, but I also discovered to have a proclivity for Syrah based wines in general.
I got to know about Guigal a couple of months before organising the La-La-La tasting, while visiting the splendid Côte Rôtie wine region, where Guigal is the largest landowner. I visited the area in Mai 2015 with my wife and I discovered the most impressive vineyard’s landscape I ever saw.
La Landonne, La Mouline and La Turque are among the most consistent great wines in the world. It is not a coincidence that they have been awarded multiple times 100 points by Robert Parker: La Mouline 11 times, La Landonne 10 times and La Turque 7 times.
The grapes for Guigal La Mouline come from vines situated on a steep hillside vineyard on Côte Blonde, planted with 89% Syrah and 11% Viognier. I bought this bottle at ARVI for 377 CHF.
Country: France
Region: Côte Rôtie
Grapes: Syrah
Type: Red
Vintage: 1996
Producer: E. Guigal
Price range: Luxury (>100 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 5/5