Thomas’s Northern Rhone extravaganza (Cabotte): So good. Much fresher than its flight-mate, of course, with a nose centred on stone fruit but seemingly ever-changing in character. Still a bit of oak, too. Rounded and juicily-fruited on the palate, with overarching minerality and some trademark Marsanne bitterness on the finish (as well as a touch of heat - it's 14.5%). I find this wine quite variable between vintages, as it pushes the envelope in terms of ripeness and elevage, but this 2015 was popular around the table. My #5 wine tonight.
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Syrah at Cabotte (Cabotte): Really buttery on the nose. *Full* fat. If you gave me this blind I’d have guessed a high octane new world chardonnay. Bit of heat on the finish. I thought this tasted pretty flabby: at the time i wondered what the Marsanne content was like and I now see thanks to google that it’s 95%, which explains it. Just not my bag, but nothing ‘wrong; with it.
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Wonderful wine at a perfect state. Beautiful golden color. Complex nose with honey, vanilla, butter and orange marmalade. Creamy texture. Long lasting complex, round finish. Intense. Mild acidity which indicates some more years to go. Not too different from a white Hermitage.
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Popped and poured. Golden yellow, and coats the glass. Very delicate, apple orchard nose. And a hint of honey. Very lovely, creamy palate, with rich fruit, excellent balance, though the acid is receding a bit with age. This is at peak drinking right now, and my lack of experience with these wines with age on them makes it hard for me to predict the future of this wine. My intuition tells me this won't get better with more age. Hiroko loves this too, and says silky, with a slight bitterness; creamy. Nice finish with a bit of leather. She adds, fantastic nose, not quite the equal in the mouth. 5-13-16-8: 92/100.
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Drank outside on the first real warm day of the year, so the temp was closer to room temp than to chilled. This wine is the very reason why I love Rhone white varietals. The nose was seductive with minerals/rocks and pears. The mouthfeel has an oily texture that makes this glide across the palate with pure elegance. I would hunt more of these down and stock up for years if I could find some.
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Outstanding, stood up very well to Antipasto at Easter dinner. Definitely improved since last bottle 2 years ago. Good golden color, oily texture , lovely butterscotch flavors in perfect harmony with the slightly hot alcohol nuance. Maybe the best white Rhone I've had at any price. One bottle left, tempted to wait another year but it's just soooo good now.
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Medium goldish. Expressive nose with ripe stone fruit, butterscotch, some hints of tropical fruit and nyances of oxidation; warmth is peeking out. Opulent mid palate, lovely texture caressing your tongue, deep and complex flavour broadly with the same profile with the nose with weight and substance ending with some heat and ripe yellow fruit. Excellent.
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Straw colored with good viscosity. Aromatically presents white orchard fruits with d’Anjou pear very prominent. Fat and suave on the palate with butterscotch and pear. A persistent finish with a faint lemon zest and mineral streak.
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Popped and poured. Hiroko is already oohing and aahing over this. Beautiful shot-gold color, with loads of viscosity. Really looks the part! Complex nose right off the bat. I may not be great at describing them, but this has all the characteristics you look for in a top white Northern Rhône wine. Great elegance in the mouth, very light on its feet, even ethereal, but with penetrating fruit and great opulence. Unctuous finish. This is a star, and even better than earlier bottles of this wine. My new standard for a white St. Joseph? Yup! The reasonable price is the icing on the cake. 5-13-19-9: 96/100.
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Regular dinner group (@ MH): Perfumed bouquet. On the palate full bodied and a bit fat, caramel, butter, ripe and sweet yellow fruits, well dosed oak and some heat in the finish, but nevertheless an excellent wine.
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2nd LI Blind BYO (Primi Italian Steakhouse Islip): Rather demure and doesn’t show a great deal of terroir (tasted like Sauvignon Blanc). Still, the balance is good and it’s tasty. Not a good pairing with the arugula salad.
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Guigal New Releases including 2013 LaLas: Apricot, pear, some herb and wood. A level up in concentration vs the CdR, still with some sweet fruit and good composure. Mid-good length.
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2017 Guigal single vineyard cote rotie release dinner (Bel & Brio, Barangaroo): Initially medium minus intensity aromas of mineral, wet stone, slight bees wax and a little struck match. With time the fruit begins to emerge showing stone fruit backed by citrus. It's a bit wet and warm on the palate - alcoholically warm - almost soupy in fact with a touch of bitterness to the back palate. Meh for me. Food helps it but still not that good for me.
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Excellent-lives up to the hype. Burnished yellow-gold with some fine legs; oily appearance and texture. This wine has a real presence that goes beyond just body. Initial nose has everything from bubble gum to light tropical fruit. Taffy. Tight at the moment. Makes an unctuous entry in the mouth, a tad fat and creamy balanced by some slightly metallic acidity. Hint of oak in the finish. Probably the best St. Jo white for me so far. 5-12-16-9: 92/100
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Oh what a lovely wine - rich and delicious with beautiful peaches and cream freshness balanced with perfect new oak overtones that for me gives it a real point of difference verses Condrieu. Wonderful now and interesting to see where it will develop - confirms for me that Guigal wines are singing again - bravo.
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Rule the Rhone; 10/27/2016-11/3/2016 (Northern & Southern Rhone): 95% Marsanne, 5% Roussanne. 100% in new oak and yet the oak did not overpower the wine. This had a touch of the glycerin in it, lime, kindof an older flowers flavor and aroma even though this had just recently been bottled. My favorite of the whites we tried at Guigal. Very nice.
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4/5/2024 - NickA Likes this wine: 93 Points
Thomas’s Northern Rhone extravaganza (Cabotte): So good. Much fresher than its flight-mate, of course, with a nose centred on stone fruit but seemingly ever-changing in character. Still a bit of oak, too. Rounded and juicily-fruited on the palate, with overarching minerality and some trademark Marsanne bitterness on the finish (as well as a touch of heat - it's 14.5%). I find this wine quite variable between vintages, as it pushes the envelope in terms of ripeness and elevage, but this 2015 was popular around the table. My #5 wine tonight.
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4/5/2024 - Jamieson12o Likes this wine: 89 Points
Syrah at Cabotte (Cabotte): Really buttery on the nose. *Full* fat. If you gave me this blind I’d have guessed a high octane new world chardonnay. Bit of heat on the finish. I thought this tasted pretty flabby: at the time i wondered what the Marsanne content was like and I now see thanks to google that it’s 95%, which explains it. Just not my bag, but nothing ‘wrong; with it.
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12/30/2023 - Brevetti wrote: flawed
Flawed, which was a big surprise as this same wine was so delicious 3 monts ago. I guess this bottle was defected.
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9/28/2023 - Brevetti Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful white Rhône wine, so typical. Still young and fresh but perfectly ready to drink.
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6/3/2022 - shafer1994 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wonderful wine at a perfect state. Beautiful golden color. Complex nose with honey, vanilla, butter and orange marmalade. Creamy texture. Long lasting complex, round finish. Intense. Mild acidity which indicates some more years to go. Not too different from a white Hermitage.
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11/11/2021 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 92 Points
Popped and poured. Golden yellow, and coats the glass. Very delicate, apple orchard nose. And a hint of honey. Very lovely, creamy palate, with rich fruit, excellent balance, though the acid is receding a bit with age. This is at peak drinking right now, and my lack of experience with these wines with age on them makes it hard for me to predict the future of this wine. My intuition tells me this won't get better with more age. Hiroko loves this too, and says silky, with a slight bitterness; creamy. Nice finish with a bit of leather. She adds, fantastic nose, not quite the equal in the mouth. 5-13-16-8: 92/100.
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1/23/2021 - Crunge Likes this wine: 92 Points
Honey color with strong honeysuckle aroma. Honeysuckle, pear, and zest flavors come through with an oily feel. Acid and alcohol give it some weight.
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6/6/2020 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 93 Points
consistent with notes of 3/3/2018
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4/27/2020 - bablues wrote: 94 Points
Drank outside on the first real warm day of the year, so the temp was closer to room temp than to chilled. This wine is the very reason why I love Rhone white varietals. The nose was seductive with minerals/rocks and pears. The mouthfeel has an oily texture that makes this glide across the palate with pure elegance. I would hunt more of these down and stock up for years if I could find some.
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4/13/2020 - jafny Likes this wine: 94 Points
Outstanding, stood up very well to Antipasto at Easter dinner. Definitely improved since last bottle 2 years ago. Good golden color, oily texture , lovely butterscotch flavors in perfect harmony with the slightly hot alcohol nuance. Maybe the best white Rhone I've had at any price. One bottle left, tempted to wait another year but it's just soooo good now.
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9/27/2019 - Yorgos Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium goldish. Expressive nose with ripe stone fruit, butterscotch, some hints of tropical fruit and nyances of oxidation; warmth is peeking out. Opulent mid palate, lovely texture caressing your tongue, deep and complex flavour broadly with the same profile with the nose with weight and substance ending with some heat and ripe yellow fruit. Excellent.
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7/4/2019 - COWineLover wrote: 91 Points
Straw colored with good viscosity. Aromatically presents white orchard fruits with d’Anjou pear very prominent. Fat and suave on the palate with butterscotch and pear. A persistent finish with a faint lemon zest and mineral streak.
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9/17/2018 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 96 Points
Popped and poured. Hiroko is already oohing and aahing over this. Beautiful shot-gold color, with loads of viscosity. Really looks the part! Complex nose right off the bat. I may not be great at describing them, but this has all the characteristics you look for in a top white Northern Rhône wine. Great elegance in the mouth, very light on its feet, even ethereal, but with penetrating fruit and great opulence. Unctuous finish. This is a star, and even better than earlier bottles of this wine. My new standard for a white St. Joseph? Yup! The reasonable price is the icing on the cake. 5-13-19-9: 96/100.
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8/4/2018 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Regular dinner group (@ MH): Perfumed bouquet. On the palate full bodied and a bit fat, caramel, butter, ripe and sweet yellow fruits, well dosed oak and some heat in the finish, but nevertheless an excellent wine.
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5/20/2018 - VDLT Wine Likes this wine:
2nd LI Blind BYO (Primi Italian Steakhouse Islip): Rather demure and doesn’t show a great deal of terroir (tasted like Sauvignon Blanc). Still, the balance is good and it’s tasty. Not a good pairing with the arugula salad.
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4/13/2018 - nywine68 wrote: 92 Points
Beautiful wine. Spicy with a long finish. Nutty flavors with a hint of lemon and licorice.
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3/10/2018 - STM82 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Sappy pit fruit with notes of lanolin and marzipan mixed in. More floral when only slightly chilled.
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3/3/2018 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 93 Points
plenty of pit fruit tones, with solid minerality and a very floral nose
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9/20/2017 - CamWheeler wrote: 90 Points
Guigal New Releases including 2013 LaLas: Apricot, pear, some herb and wood. A level up in concentration vs the CdR, still with some sweet fruit and good composure. Mid-good length.
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9/20/2017 - chatters wrote:
2017 Guigal single vineyard cote rotie release dinner (Bel & Brio, Barangaroo): Initially medium minus intensity aromas of mineral, wet stone, slight bees wax and a little struck match. With time the fruit begins to emerge showing stone fruit backed by citrus. It's a bit wet and warm on the palate - alcoholically warm - almost soupy in fact with a touch of bitterness to the back palate. Meh for me. Food helps it but still not that good for me.
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8/1/2017 - dougie Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wonderful with seafood at andina with Jonny, Rey and Wendi in Portland.
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7/30/2017 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 92 Points
Excellent-lives up to the hype. Burnished yellow-gold with some fine legs; oily appearance and texture. This wine has a real presence that goes beyond just body. Initial nose has everything from bubble gum to light tropical fruit. Taffy. Tight at the moment. Makes an unctuous entry in the mouth, a tad fat and creamy balanced by some slightly metallic acidity. Hint of oak in the finish. Probably the best St. Jo white for me so far. 5-12-16-9: 92/100
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3/16/2017 - Oddbod wrote: 92 Points
Oh what a lovely wine - rich and delicious with beautiful peaches and cream freshness balanced with perfect new oak overtones that for me gives it a real point of difference verses Condrieu. Wonderful now and interesting to see where it will develop - confirms for me that Guigal wines are singing again - bravo.
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10/28/2016 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Rule the Rhone; 10/27/2016-11/3/2016 (Northern & Southern Rhone): 95% Marsanne, 5% Roussanne. 100% in new oak and yet the oak did not overpower the wine. This had a touch of the glycerin in it, lime, kindof an older flowers flavor and aroma even though this had just recently been bottled. My favorite of the whites we tried at Guigal. Very nice.
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