Last bottle, cork in good shape. Slightly faded from last note 6 years ago, fruits and tannins less prominent, but still a freshness and useful acidity here. Just what you would hope to find from a well-aged bottle of Cote-Rotie opened to accompany some Christmas Eve food.
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Medium ruby core, light garnet towards the edges. Cherry, blueberry, soy sauce, cigar box, spices, black pepper, hints of vanilla and clove, and slate-like minerality, with great acidity, mostly resolved tannin, and superb length. Well-balanced, with a smooth, creamy texture. In a good place. Drink now.
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Guigal Brune et Blonde Medium garnet—the color of dried blood. Subtle and nuanced on the nose, with lots of developed notes: cigar box, cedar, dried flowers, old leather, smoke, pine forest, underbrush, and just a hint of soy sauce and rare charred meat. Plus a dusting of clove and cinnamon. Not much on the nose in the way of fruit. Wow, an absolute stunner on the palate. Lighter body than expected—barely what I would call medium. Extremely silky texture as the tannins have mostly melted away, leaving just an extremely fine grained coating. All of those great aged characteristics from the nose—it’s simultaneously savory, herbal, smoky, and spicy, but perfectly clean, with some freshness from the acid that’s like the ghost of sour cherry past. The finish is dusty and savory, and goes on and on.
I just love Northern Rhône syrah, especially with age, and this is a beautiful example. Peak drinking window right now. It might still develop a little more, but I wouldn’t want to miss that burst of freshness that’s still hanging around to enliven everything else.
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Reddish granite in colour. Not inky or thick. Medium weight. Aromas of blueberries, dark berries, vanilla, florals. Flavours show blueberry compote, blackberries, spices, vanilla and some smoked meat and pepper on the mid palate to finish. Nice decent length to the finish. Feels like the acidity is waning a bit . But otherwise very nice drinking, easy, good complexity. The tannins are almost non-existent now, but still drying.
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A slight contrast to the two previous bottles, this had a little more of a Burgundian than Riojan feel to it. Plenty of red fruits, nice acidity and balance. Still got that pepper twist ending, which adds rather than detracts.
And, judging by how this seemed to put on weight in the decanter, I think this will still be drinking well way beyond the 2019 drinking date stated. It's pricey, but this bottle represented far better 'value' than previous ones.
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My last bottle of 6. There has been quite a bit of bottle variation and this one seemed a bit over the hill. Really complex and barnyardy at first, but after a couple of hours it developed some notes of boiled root vegetables on the nose. Great balace on the palate, however, with smooth tannins, good acidity and long, peppery aftertaste.
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hot, disjointed and unpleasant on first day. just a muddled mess. This was purchase on release and properly kept. 2nd day - what shows is old show leather and dirty smelling cigar box. UNPLEASANT. dumped remaining half bottle.
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Much of my notes from previous bottle remain the same - ie Colour garnet with slight bricking and a Rioja-alikeness (good Gran Reserva with some age). Very much the same smells, textures and tastes, but with greater poise, more refinement.
But the principal difference with a little more age is balance, which helps to highlight its class a bit more. Whilst certainly not the steal of the century, its looking more value for money (though not necessarily a bargain!).
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Eye: medium garnet color. Nose: dark cherries, herbal, smoke. Palate: crisp, well balanced, fruit subtle but good flavor, medium body, long finish. Elegant.
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There really seems to be some bottle variation with these. This one was great! Fresh, long and complex with red fruit, leather, licqourice, a bit of garrigue and stones. Drinking very well right now, but will keep and possibly improve just a bit more.
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A good example of this classic from Maison Guigal. Lght ruby colour, pleasnt nose with leather, pepper, some hints of raspberries. Very elegant on the palate, not a blockbuster by any means, tannins well integrated, refreshing, good length. I would not wait too long before consuming this however, probably at its peak now.
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On opening, light/medium colour and delicate nose. Similar to Volnay I had recently. Mouth light and fresh, still burg-like. Development in the mouth with herb and treacle notes. Keeps going. Quite long. Day 2 Nose has developed and now recognisable as lifted syrah with pepper notes. Much more complex on the tongue now. Sweeter, weightier and even longer finish. For one raised on new world shiraz/viogs, this was a surprise in it's lightness, delicacy and shyness. It certainly delivers, eventually.
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I don't know if its bottle variation or the food i had it with (leg of lamb with this, baby back ribs with the previous), but this bottle was much more closed and uninteresting than the previous one.
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My first experience with a Cote Rotie from Guigal, after reading the reviews decided to decant for 6 hours, I am glad I did. Straight from the bottle the wine felt very light almost watery and out of balance acidity. After decanting the became more complex, showing notes of roasted coffee on the nose, on the palate I got some caremalized Cherries and some other spices. It was a good experience but the QPR is low. Enjoy now with long decanting or continue to cellar.
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This Cote Rotie is balanced, seamless now, with almost fully resolved tannins. The fruit, while not overly extracted, is still ripe and enjoyable. Syrah bloomed in the glass, highlighting aromas of smoky leather and ripe sweet/sour red fruits. This wine did not exhibit any of the traits that sometimes accompany under-ripe syrah, such as an excess acidity or unbalanced alcohol. Drinking well now and should continue to improve. Another '04 Rotie that's bucking the conventional wine chart wisdom.
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Lovely wide open nose with some perfume, sous-bois, mushrooms, lots of dark berries and licorice. Mouth is excellent, more dry than one would have expected, medium long finish, lots of berries.
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Started wersh despite an hour's airing. Peppery, some tannin, and definitely a thin unwelcome acerbity. But after another hour began to recover its balance. By the end of the bottle, some 4 hours after opening, it was a highly enjoyable, well-rounded, satisfyingly complex bundle of flavours. I'll decant the next bottle well before sampling.
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Very light-weight looking wine, not quite bricking, but colour is still garnet. Has a certain aged-Rioja alikeness to it (both taste and smell), with a peppery edge. The flavour starts slowly, with a creaminess, then broadens in the mid palate, adding quite a bit of fruit and that pepper-twist.
I liked the experience, but I have to add the caveat that whilst clearly a wine made by an expert and certainly enjoyable, it seems to have little je ne sais quoi, and wasn't knock-yer-socks-off stuff. Which for the price left me if not dissapointed, then certainly not necessarily in a mood to rush out and buy more at its not inconsiderable price.
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Will the world end tomorrow? Probably not and hope not, however I debated for weeks over which bottle shall be that "last" bottle. Debating between Burgundy and Northern Rhone, I decided Northern Rhone. Composed of 96% Syrah and 4% Viognier, color is light and transparent. Beef jerkish, peppery, cherry juice like, floral, and citrusy, this wine pleases me yet its astringent tannins are not so promising for its ageability, especially for a $50~$60 price tag. I liked this initially as it came across as a philosopher's wine, but unfortunately it fell apart completely in 4 hours, leaving an unpleasant sourness. During the first 3 hours, I considered it 89 point wine, but oh well. I do not recommend decanting.
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In the light of previous reviews I decanted for several hours - didn't seem to make much difference -- some fruit but clumpy - a slight improvement from the previous bottle but I have to query the QPR
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Appearance: Ruby, dark center, starting to brick on the rim. Nose: Red fruits, black cherry, black pepper, spice, dry earth, a little beef jerky Palate: Red and black fruit, grilled meat. Floral and spice intermingle. Well-structured medium tannin/body/acidity. Smooth and medium-long finish. Notes: Beautifully balanced, medium-power northern rhone. Paired with roast turkey and thanksgiving dinner.
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A 7 hour decant to try and wake it from its slumber. Powerful nose, spicy and meaty with cloves and red berry aromas. On first pour it's plump and blackcurranty, the oak still forward and dominant. Softens a little by the third glass with a nice savoury tomato juice flavour coming through and a creamy vanilla filled finish. I'm in no rush to drink the rest of these, plenty of time left.
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Medium red colour. Nose is dominated by berry aromas, with red and dark berries, some spice and herbal notes, a hint of tar, some oak barrel notes. Rather good concentration on the palate, red and some dark berries, a hint of bitterness, medium tannin, some herbal notes. Rather ready to drink, but could perhaps improve a little more.
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Peppery jammy nose. Soft tannins. Rather thin. Good grip of tannins lingering. Not much going on here. Would wait a while before trying another bottle.
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Nose is perfumy, but also with red fruit and a hint of tomato leaf. Drinks very smooth and balanced, tannins are supple and the acidity made it a good partner, with red fruit and a hint of meatiness. Really nice.
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Not particularly impressive and loses a mark for lack of VFM (interestingly I acquired mine from the same source as Chinabounder so perhaps part of a poor batch - caveat emptor) - this seemed to lack any real depth and produced some earthy fruit but no real complexity
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At Le Castiglione, Rue St Honoré 235, Paris. Floral, ripe sweet fruit, silky-smooth, spicy oak, lovely minerality, very elegant, hint of orange on the palate, relatively light but quite charming.
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Decanted for 2 hours. Quite good; no immediate pepper but very well integrated. Gives way – oddly – to rather rich raisins, rather like a sherry. Also some hint of marzipan there. Maybe a faint hit of Parma violet – odd, that. But certainly jam.
But it did not ever show the peppery taste I’d have liked to find. I expect a little more burliness, perhaps, from a Rhone. In short, this was satisfying but not really that memorable. It cost around 30 UK pounds on special offer from Waitrose (38 uk pounds at time of writing) and I feel it did not live up to that price.
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Drank with moroccan food... was a good accompaniment to the food. Opened for a few hours before drinking (no decant). Ruby red with nice fruit and spice on the nose. Fruit and pepper on the palate with a hint of earth. Much lighter than anticipated. Long finish.
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This was my first experience with a wine of this calibre from this area. Decanted about 1/2 hour. Beautiful fruit and spice/pepper on the nose. Earth and elegant on the palate. Nice long finish.
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As with much quality wine we all drink these days - too young. Quite reticent at first, but I left it in the bottle for a day or two and it really opened up. The nose is refined and gentle. Very obviously not an "in your face" wine. Cherries and raspberries with a little earthiness. Ditto for palate, but the finish is really long and really good. Overall, this is an excellent wine. My first experience with a Rotie. I'm a fan of the wine, but not the price.
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Funky up front. Barnyard nose with hints of cocoa and strong espresso. Big espresso on the palate with roasted cocoa and other coffee tones. - Schreiner's Winers 7/9/10
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Delicious, easy to drink, and even somewhat elegant now, but this doesn't have the tannic structure to last for the long haul, in my view. Others seem to think this is just in a tight stage, which might explain why I found it a tad less complex than I usually expect from this wine, but if you've got some bottles of, say, the 2003, I'd be cellaring those for later and drinking the 2004 now. That said, I'd also be drinking these now because they are pleasing now.
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Sexy, serious wine. Colour has a nice brown tinge to it and there is a glossy sheen to this wine - it has a look of quality about it. Nose at first out of the bottle was rich strawberry, deep pungent herbs, dark fruit. Taste is sweet fruit with a deep grilled meat tang to it. Stuck it in the decanter for a couple of hours and drank the rest over 5 hours - wine becomes much more earthy with the tannic structure coming to the fore - notes of white pepper much more pronounced - very nice balance with more pronounced meat and herbs and a more dry finish - the sweetness of the fruit receding. Very very good - needs a long time to lose its sweetness and let the secondary characteristics come through. Good value (£35) and can actually be drunk now but this will be much better in 5-10 years.
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Should have asked the waitress to open it an hour or so in advance as it was a bit tight right out of the gates. Matured nicely and was just lovely by the last glass...
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had at Vintages tasting class ( both 2004 & 1998 ) - as a newbie I have only had one other Cote Rotie ( Gilles Barge & I liked this ) and 27 others in last 18 mths - mostly from Crozes-Hermitage - came away un-impressed with these
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a laid back night on the rooftop: Nose: young and a bit on the tight side as one would expect, but very lovely and feminine with lush tones of white and black pepper, bacon fat, a good amount of black cherries and lovely tones of mineral rich earth. Very well balanced, and while not neccessarily a knockout nose, this is one that snares you in a bit
taste: plush and young with good tannins along with a medium/full feel and medium+ acidity. Well balanced and nuanced tones of white and black pepper, some bits of purprle florals, potpurri, bacon fat, and black cherries
overall: a real sexy young cote rotie. This was decanted for about 2 hours before bringing it to dinner and was then one of the last wine drank that night and it was still a bit tight. Could use another two or so years to fully round out, and is a cote rotie more for pondering
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Aerated for 3 hours, it was elegant and balanced, expected a 'brawnier' wine, but was very impressed with it's subtle intensity and food-friendly approach - Dark purple, well concentrated with notes of plum, cherry, mocha, leather, pepper and vanilla on the nose, very well structured and balanced, nice weight and complexity, silky smooth on the finish with good length (92 Points).
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Aromatic, pepper, pencil shavings, mineral, cigar tobacco, meat and smoke nose. Med-full bodied with bright fruit and juicy acidity; good length finish. 4.5/5
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It seems Mr. Parker wasn't that much of a fan of Guigal's '04's, but I'm going to have to disagree. Having tried this and the Ampuis, I really like the '04's. This wine doesn't have a lot of power, but is lean and muscaler. Beautiful aromatics kept changing every time I changed it. At one point, a gorgeous black pepper and sweet fruit intermingled. Not a powerhouse at all, this wine is focused and beautiful.
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12/24/2022 - shugmo Likes this wine:
Last bottle, cork in good shape. Slightly faded from last note 6 years ago, fruits and tannins less prominent, but still a freshness and useful acidity here. Just what you would hope to find from a well-aged bottle of Cote-Rotie opened to accompany some Christmas Eve food.
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8/17/2022 - PSPatrick wrote: 92 Points
Medium ruby core, light garnet towards the edges. Cherry, blueberry, soy sauce, cigar box, spices, black pepper, hints of vanilla and clove, and slate-like minerality, with great acidity, mostly resolved tannin, and superb length. Well-balanced, with a smooth, creamy texture. In a good place. Drink now.
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1/11/2020 - JVG wrote:
Guigal Brune et Blonde
Medium garnet—the color of dried blood. Subtle and nuanced on the nose, with lots of developed notes: cigar box, cedar, dried flowers, old leather, smoke, pine forest, underbrush, and just a hint of soy sauce and rare charred meat. Plus a dusting of clove and cinnamon. Not much on the nose in the way of fruit. Wow, an absolute stunner on the palate. Lighter body than expected—barely what I would call medium. Extremely silky texture as the tannins have mostly melted away, leaving just an extremely fine grained coating. All of those great aged characteristics from the nose—it’s simultaneously savory, herbal, smoky, and spicy, but perfectly clean, with some freshness from the acid that’s like the ghost of sour cherry past. The finish is dusty and savory, and goes on and on.
I just love Northern Rhône syrah, especially with age, and this is a beautiful example. Peak drinking window right now. It might still develop a little more, but I wouldn’t want to miss that burst of freshness that’s still hanging around to enliven everything else.
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8/31/2019 - OttawaB Likes this wine: 91 Points
Reddish granite in colour. Not inky or thick. Medium weight. Aromas of blueberries, dark berries, vanilla, florals.
Flavours show blueberry compote, blackberries, spices, vanilla and some smoked meat and pepper on the mid palate to finish. Nice decent length to the finish. Feels like the acidity is waning a bit . But otherwise very nice drinking, easy, good complexity. The tannins are almost non-existent now, but still drying.
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3/18/2017 - Tannatastic Likes this wine: 93 Points
Now I get it! Absolutely on-the-button right now.
A slight contrast to the two previous bottles, this had a little more of a Burgundian than Riojan feel to it. Plenty of red fruits, nice acidity and balance. Still got that pepper twist ending, which adds rather than detracts.
And, judging by how this seemed to put on weight in the decanter, I think this will still be drinking well way beyond the 2019 drinking date stated. It's pricey, but this bottle represented far better 'value' than previous ones.
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1/19/2017 - Winiac wrote: 90 Points
Very firm structure. Acid plus, secondary and early tertiary flavors. Medium length.
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12/26/2016 - shugmo Likes this wine:
Completely ready, an elegant and spicy medium bodied old world syrah.
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12/4/2016 - Winiac wrote: 88 Points
We balanced and mature, on decline and is tiring. Drink them up ASAP!
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3/21/2016 - mmh wrote: 91 Points
My last bottle of 6. There has been quite a bit of bottle variation and this one seemed a bit over the hill. Really complex and barnyardy at first, but after a couple of hours it developed some notes of boiled root vegetables on the nose. Great balace on the palate, however, with smooth tannins, good acidity and long, peppery aftertaste.
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12/13/2015 - lolo66 wrote: 75 Points
hot, disjointed and unpleasant on first day. just a muddled mess. This was purchase on release and properly kept. 2nd day - what shows is old show leather and dirty smelling cigar box. UNPLEASANT. dumped remaining half bottle.
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11/3/2015 - Tannatastic Likes this wine: 91 Points
Much of my notes from previous bottle remain the same - ie Colour garnet with slight bricking and a Rioja-alikeness (good Gran Reserva with some age). Very much the same smells, textures and tastes, but with greater poise, more refinement.
But the principal difference with a little more age is balance, which helps to highlight its class a bit more. Whilst certainly not the steal of the century, its looking more value for money (though not necessarily a bargain!).
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9/5/2015 - Adelage Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tres bon en ce moment. Probablement a son apogee d'ici 1 ou 2 ans. Beau fruit, tannins en grande partie fondus.
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8/25/2015 - renatodug Likes this wine: 85 Points
La couleur commence à brunir. Au nez puissants épices et fruits. En bouche assez décevant. Comme passé, mais l'alcool est présent.
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5/21/2015 - socidelvino wrote: 90 Points
Eye: medium garnet color. Nose: dark cherries, herbal, smoke. Palate: crisp, well balanced, fruit subtle but good flavor, medium body, long finish. Elegant.
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11/2/2014 - mmh wrote: 92 Points
There really seems to be some bottle variation with these. This one was great! Fresh, long and complex with red fruit, leather, licqourice, a bit of garrigue and stones. Drinking very well right now, but will keep and possibly improve just a bit more.
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8/13/2014 - chevalblanc1959 wrote: 90 Points
A good example of this classic from Maison Guigal. Lght ruby colour, pleasnt nose with leather, pepper, some hints of raspberries. Very elegant on the palate, not a blockbuster by any means, tannins well integrated, refreshing, good length. I would not wait too long before consuming this however, probably at its peak now.
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2/11/2014 - yasgurdj wrote: 88 Points
Much better this time.
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12/1/2013 - etcharem wrote: 91 Points
It s ready and superb
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11/29/2013 - nsellen wrote: 91 Points
On opening, light/medium colour and delicate nose. Similar to Volnay I had recently. Mouth light and fresh, still burg-like. Development in the mouth with herb and treacle notes. Keeps going. Quite long. Day 2 Nose has developed and now recognisable as lifted syrah with pepper notes. Much more complex on the tongue now. Sweeter, weightier and even longer finish. For one raised on new world shiraz/viogs, this was a surprise in it's lightness, delicacy and shyness. It certainly delivers, eventually.
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11/18/2013 - mmh wrote: 89 Points
I don't know if its bottle variation or the food i had it with (leg of lamb with this, baby back ribs with the previous), but this bottle was much more closed and uninteresting than the previous one.
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7/6/2013 - Renato capoeira wrote:
Quebrou na cozinha
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6/21/2013 - Oldworlddrinker wrote: 89 Points
My first experience with a Cote Rotie from Guigal, after reading the reviews decided to decant for 6 hours, I am glad I did. Straight from the bottle the wine felt very light almost watery and out of balance acidity. After decanting the became more complex, showing notes of roasted coffee on the nose, on the palate I got some caremalized Cherries and some other spices. It was a good experience but the QPR is low. Enjoy now with long decanting or continue to cellar.
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6/10/2013 - swapdoc wrote:
This Cote Rotie is balanced, seamless now, with almost fully resolved tannins. The fruit, while not overly extracted, is still ripe and enjoyable. Syrah bloomed in the glass, highlighting aromas of smoky leather and ripe sweet/sour red fruits. This wine did not exhibit any of the traits that sometimes accompany under-ripe syrah, such as an excess acidity or unbalanced alcohol. Drinking well now and should continue to improve. Another '04 Rotie that's bucking the conventional wine chart wisdom.
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4/28/2013 - Omar Khayyam Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lovely wide open nose with some perfume, sous-bois, mushrooms, lots of dark berries and licorice. Mouth is excellent, more dry than one would have expected, medium long finish, lots of berries.
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4/27/2013 - Jara Likes this wine: 88 Points
Started wersh despite an hour's airing. Peppery, some tannin, and definitely a thin unwelcome acerbity. But after another hour began to recover its balance. By the end of the bottle, some 4 hours after opening, it was a highly enjoyable, well-rounded, satisfyingly complex bundle of flavours. I'll decant the next bottle well before sampling.
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3/8/2013 - Tannatastic wrote: 89 Points
Very light-weight looking wine, not quite bricking, but colour is still garnet. Has a certain aged-Rioja alikeness to it (both taste and smell), with a peppery edge. The flavour starts slowly, with a creaminess, then broadens in the mid palate, adding quite a bit of fruit and that pepper-twist.
I liked the experience, but I have to add the caveat that whilst clearly a wine made by an expert and certainly enjoyable, it seems to have little je ne sais quoi, and wasn't knock-yer-socks-off stuff. Which for the price left me if not dissapointed, then certainly not necessarily in a mood to rush out and buy more at its not inconsiderable price.
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2/3/2013 - socidelvino wrote: 88 Points
Eye: light garnet color. Nose: cherries, pepper. Palate: god fruit, lighter structure than noted before, light body, medium finish.
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12/20/2012 - Number51 wrote: 87 Points
Will the world end tomorrow? Probably not and hope not, however I debated for weeks over which bottle shall be that "last" bottle. Debating between Burgundy and Northern Rhone, I decided Northern Rhone.
Composed of 96% Syrah and 4% Viognier, color is light and transparent. Beef jerkish, peppery, cherry juice like, floral, and citrusy, this wine pleases me yet its astringent tannins are not so promising for its ageability, especially for a $50~$60 price tag.
I liked this initially as it came across as a philosopher's wine, but unfortunately it fell apart completely in 4 hours, leaving an unpleasant sourness. During the first 3 hours, I considered it 89 point wine, but oh well. I do not recommend decanting.
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12/11/2012 - socidelvino wrote: 90 Points
Eye: dark garnet color. Nose: cherries, vanilla, smoke, pepper, herbs, berries, dried fruit. Palate: great structure, solid tannins, nice fruit, medium body, long finish.
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12/8/2012 - ecola Likes this wine: 88 Points
Very dry, medium body, subtle red fruit. Old world in style, needs food to bring out the acidity and minerality.
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11/28/2012 - Mackmoo wrote: 86 Points
Going downhill. Should have had it last year or the year before.
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11/26/2012 - belfast taxman wrote: 85 Points
In the light of previous reviews I decanted for several hours - didn't seem to make much difference -- some fruit but clumpy - a slight improvement from the previous bottle but I have to query the QPR
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11/22/2012 - defigio wrote: 93 Points
Appearance: Ruby, dark center, starting to brick on the rim.
Nose: Red fruits, black cherry, black pepper, spice, dry earth, a little beef jerky
Palate: Red and black fruit, grilled meat. Floral and spice intermingle. Well-structured medium tannin/body/acidity. Smooth and medium-long finish.
Notes: Beautifully balanced, medium-power northern rhone. Paired with roast turkey and thanksgiving dinner.
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11/22/2012 - Biggsy wrote: 90 Points
A 7 hour decant to try and wake it from its slumber. Powerful nose, spicy and meaty with cloves and red berry aromas. On first pour it's plump and blackcurranty, the oak still forward and dominant. Softens a little by the third glass with a nice savoury tomato juice flavour coming through and a creamy vanilla filled finish. I'm in no rush to drink the rest of these, plenty of time left.
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9/8/2012 - Vintomas wrote: 89 Points
Medium red colour. Nose is dominated by berry aromas, with red and dark berries, some spice and herbal notes, a hint of tar, some oak barrel notes. Rather good concentration on the palate, red and some dark berries, a hint of bitterness, medium tannin, some herbal notes. Rather ready to drink, but could perhaps improve a little more.
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8/24/2012 - yasgurdj wrote: 86 Points
Peppery jammy nose. Soft tannins. Rather thin. Good grip of tannins lingering. Not much going on here. Would wait a while before trying another bottle.
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7/23/2012 - tendring Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wine Education Service - Guigal - King of the Rhône (LSE): Translucent, quite brown with age.
Fragrant, fruity, a hint of oak.
Luscious, still fruity, very soft tannins, drinkable on its own or with food, very long.
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7/17/2012 - wirelesswine wrote: 91 Points
Nose is perfumy, but also with red fruit and a hint of tomato leaf. Drinks very smooth and balanced, tannins are supple and the acidity made it a good partner, with red fruit and a hint of meatiness. Really nice.
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6/18/2012 - belfast taxman wrote: 84 Points
Not particularly impressive and loses a mark for lack of VFM (interestingly I acquired mine from the same source as Chinabounder so perhaps part of a poor batch - caveat emptor) - this seemed to lack any real depth and produced some earthy fruit but no real complexity
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5/29/2012 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 90 Points
At Le Castiglione, Rue St Honoré 235, Paris. Floral, ripe sweet fruit, silky-smooth, spicy oak, lovely minerality, very elegant, hint of orange on the palate, relatively light but quite charming.
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3/18/2012 - etcharem wrote: 91 Points
Had it with marrocan stew and it was beautiful. No decanter. Strong finish and roasted coffee notes. Loved it
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3/10/2012 - etcharem wrote: 89 Points
Needs short decanter. Strong roasted coffee notes. Goes very well with strong and tasty food. Pretty enjoyable.
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2/4/2012 - ChinaBounder wrote: 83 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Quite good; no immediate pepper but very well integrated. Gives way – oddly – to rather rich raisins, rather like a sherry. Also some hint of marzipan there. Maybe a faint hit of Parma violet – odd, that. But certainly jam.
But it did not ever show the peppery taste I’d have liked to find. I expect a little more burliness, perhaps, from a Rhone. In short, this was satisfying but not really that memorable. It cost around 30 UK pounds on special offer from Waitrose (38 uk pounds at time of writing) and I feel it did not live up to that price.
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1/11/2012 - socidelvino wrote: 89 Points
Eye: deep ruby with slight haze. Nose: dried red fruit, smoke, herbs. Palate: tannins out front, cherries, pepper, spice, good structure, long finish.
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7/18/2011 - Shiaxonna wrote: 88 Points
This seems just way to young.. I think this wine will evolve and show a lot more in three or four years. Vanilla. Concentrated berries. Very nice.
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5/21/2011 - Hill Wine wrote: 92 Points
On the nose black olives, violets, sweet tobacco and eucalyptus
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3/7/2011 - vumansky wrote: 91 Points
Drank with moroccan food... was a good accompaniment to the food. Opened for a few hours before drinking (no decant). Ruby red with nice fruit and spice on the nose. Fruit and pepper on the palate with a hint of earth. Much lighter than anticipated. Long finish.
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2/27/2011 - bmacartney wrote:
This was my first experience with a wine of this calibre from this area. Decanted about 1/2 hour. Beautiful fruit and spice/pepper on the nose. Earth and elegant on the palate. Nice long finish.
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10/4/2010 - KevinMc wrote: 91 Points
As with much quality wine we all drink these days - too young. Quite reticent at first, but I left it in the bottle for a day or two and it really opened up. The nose is refined and gentle. Very obviously not an "in your face" wine. Cherries and raspberries with a little earthiness. Ditto for palate, but the finish is really long and really good. Overall, this is an excellent wine. My first experience with a Rotie. I'm a fan of the wine, but not the price.
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7/10/2010 - vegasoenophile wrote: 88 Points
Funky up front. Barnyard nose with hints of cocoa and strong espresso. Big espresso on the palate with roasted cocoa and other coffee tones.
- Schreiner's Winers 7/9/10
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5/21/2010 - winebuff037 wrote: 89 Points
E. Guigal Wine Dinner at Jean Georges. (Jean Georges in Shanghai): Cherry, medium-bodied, OK but not spectacular.
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4/26/2010 - mdonovan wrote: 88 Points
spicy taste
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3/23/2010 - Spaz wrote: 95 Points
quel beau cote rotie pour le prix! nécessite 2 a 3 hrs de carafe, le nez N'est pas représentatif de la bouche! Miam, bien heureux!
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2/20/2010 - TheBusiness724 wrote: 90 Points
Delicious, easy to drink, and even somewhat elegant now, but this doesn't have the tannic structure to last for the long haul, in my view. Others seem to think this is just in a tight stage, which might explain why I found it a tad less complex than I usually expect from this wine, but if you've got some bottles of, say, the 2003, I'd be cellaring those for later and drinking the 2004 now. That said, I'd also be drinking these now because they are pleasing now.
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1/15/2010 - pjaines wrote:
Sexy, serious wine. Colour has a nice brown tinge to it and there is a glossy sheen to this wine - it has a look of quality about it. Nose at first out of the bottle was rich strawberry, deep pungent herbs, dark fruit. Taste is sweet fruit with a deep grilled meat tang to it. Stuck it in the decanter for a couple of hours and drank the rest over 5 hours - wine becomes much more earthy with the tannic structure coming to the fore - notes of white pepper much more pronounced - very nice balance with more pronounced meat and herbs and a more dry finish - the sweetness of the fruit receding. Very very good - needs a long time to lose its sweetness and let the secondary characteristics come through. Good value (£35) and can actually be drunk now but this will be much better in 5-10 years.
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11/15/2009 - sarlyb wrote: 91 Points
Should have asked the waitress to open it an hour or so in advance as it was a bit tight right out of the gates. Matured nicely and was just lovely by the last glass...
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11/13/2009 - GregGH wrote: 88 Points
had at Vintages tasting class ( both 2004 & 1998 ) - as a newbie I have only had one other Cote Rotie ( Gilles Barge & I liked this ) and 27 others in last 18 mths - mostly from Crozes-Hermitage - came away un-impressed with these
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8/17/2009 - LeatherPalate wrote: 92 Points
No formal notes- still pretty young needs lot's o air but it does show very well right now.
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8/14/2009 - KeithAkers wrote: 92 Points
a laid back night on the rooftop: Nose: young and a bit on the tight side as one would expect, but very lovely and feminine with lush tones of white and black pepper, bacon fat, a good amount of black cherries and lovely tones of mineral rich earth. Very well balanced, and while not neccessarily a knockout nose, this is one that snares you in a bit
taste: plush and young with good tannins along with a medium/full feel and medium+ acidity. Well balanced and nuanced tones of white and black pepper, some bits of purprle florals, potpurri, bacon fat, and black cherries
overall: a real sexy young cote rotie. This was decanted for about 2 hours before bringing it to dinner and was then one of the last wine drank that night and it was still a bit tight. Could use another two or so years to fully round out, and is a cote rotie more for pondering
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1/3/2009 - Tarrant wrote: 92 Points
Aerated for 3 hours, it was elegant and balanced, expected a 'brawnier' wine, but was very impressed with it's subtle intensity and food-friendly approach - Dark purple, well concentrated with notes of plum, cherry, mocha, leather, pepper and vanilla on the nose, very well structured and balanced, nice weight and complexity, silky smooth on the finish with good length (92 Points).
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9/30/2008 - Double-A Likes this wine: 93 Points
Aromatic, pepper, pencil shavings, mineral, cigar tobacco, meat and smoke nose. Med-full bodied with bright fruit and juicy acidity; good length finish.
4.5/5
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5/18/2008 - hutch wrote: 93 Points
It seems Mr. Parker wasn't that much of a fan of Guigal's '04's, but I'm going to have to disagree. Having tried this and the Ampuis, I really like the '04's. This wine doesn't have a lot of power, but is lean and muscaler. Beautiful aromatics kept changing every time I changed it. At one point, a gorgeous black pepper and sweet fruit intermingled. Not a powerhouse at all, this wine is focused and beautiful.
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