2013 St Joseph Blanc, Lieu-Dit, E. Guigal, Rhône
Critics reviews
Jeb Dunnuck - 28/12/2016
About this WINE
Maison Guigal
Guigal is the most famous produer in Côte Rôtie and one of the finest in the Rhône Valley. It was founded in 1946 by Etienne Guigal, following his departure from Vidal-Fleury, where he had worked for just under twenty years. His son, Marcel, joined the company in 1961 and is now the head of the company.
Guigal pioneered the notion of single vineyard Côte Rôties and his 3 most famous wines, La Landonne, La Mouline and La Turque are amongst the most sought after wines in the world today.
Marcel Guigal's attitude to winemaking is typical of the simple genius that one seems to stumble upon when looking at any of the world's greatest winemakers - low yields, organic viticulture and little or no intervention in the cellars - in short, a respect for nature and a passion for the wine itself.
Robert Parker commented on Marcel Guigal that "In the past 20 years I have spent visiting wineries and vignerons, I have never seen a producer so fanatical about quality as Marcel Guigal."
Saint-Joseph
Saint-Joseph is the second-largest appellation in the Northern Rhône with 50 growers producing wines from over 600 hectares of vineyards. Established in 1956, over 90 percent of the wine is red – made exclusively from the Syrah grape. The white wines, meanwhile, are typically a blend of Marsanne and Roussanne varieties. Its vineyards run due south on the west side below Condrieu, and are in six communes: Mauves, Tournon, St Jean-de-Muzols, Lemps, Vion and Glun.
The styles of wine in St Joseph tend to be much lighter than other red Appellations d'Origine Contrôlee and the quality can vary dramatically. The soils and climate differ, as it is a long, narrow AOC. There is no particular characteristic of the commune as some wines are produced near Côte-Rôtie, whilst others are near to Cornas.
The best St Josephs are still produced in the original heartland of the appellation between St Jean-de-Muzols and Mauves, where soils are predominately granitic with patches of limestone and schist. Typically, even the finest St Josephs are slightly lighter and faster-maturing than the wines of Hermitage, as Saint-Joseph's east-facing vineyards lose the sun up to two hours earlier in the crucial ripening season.
Recommended producers: Pierre Gaillard, Domaine Coursodon and Paul Jaboulet.
Marsanne
Marsanne is the predominant white grape variety grown in the Northern Rhône where it is used to produce white St. Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, and Hermitage. It is a tricky grape to cultivate, being susceptible to diseases and being particularly sensitive to extreme climatic changes - if growing conditions are too cool, then it fails to ripen fully and produces thin, insipid wines, while, if too hot, the resultant wines are blowsy, overblown and out of balance.
In the Northern Rhône it tends to be blended with around 15% Rousanne and produces richly aromatic, nutty wines which age marvellously - the best examples are from Hermitage and particularly from Chapoutier. Increasingly it is being grown in the Southern Rhône and Languedoc Roussillon where it is bottled as a single varietal or blended with Roussanne, Viognier, and sometimes Chardonnay. It is also grown very successfully in Victoria in Australia where some of the world`s oldest Marsanne vines are to be found.
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Description
The St Joseph lieu-dit within the greater appellation is located directly behind the ancient château of Tournon, its steeply terraced vines providing a scenic backdrop for this old Ardèche monument. The blend is weighted 95 percent Marsanne to five percent Roussanne and aged for a year in new barrels. The wine has classic Marsanne descriptors of flowers, smoke and roasted almond, happily transferred to the palate which is generously textured, finely structured and agreeably long.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer
The Guigal dynasty continues to lead the way in the valley-north and south-with some lines made in huge volumes, others pitifully scarce; some at entry price points, some frighteningly expensive. Quality seems to underwrite the entire range, however, much to the credit of all concerned, and these two white wines illustrate this point brilliantly. One of the top whites in the appellation, Guigal’s 2013 Saint Joseph Lieu Dit Saint Joseph Blanc comes from the pure granite soils of the namesake vineyard of the appellation and is a blend of 93% Marsanne and 7% Roussanne. It was aged in slightly less new oak in 2013 (prior vintages saw 100% new) with the goal to make it more approachable on release. Now aged 12 months in two-thirds new and one-third 2-year-old barrels, it sports a medium-gold color to go with sensational notes of crème brulee, caramelized peach, toast and almond paste, with additional minerality emerging on the palate. Full-bodied, rich and textured, it's a serious Saint Joseph Blanc that will stand toe-to-toe with some top white Hermitage. Drink it over the coming decade or more.
Jeb Dunnuck - Wine Advocate Issue#216 Dec 2014
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