1978-2003 Guigal Hermitages
Tom's house in Palo Alto, California
Tasted Wednesday, March 19, 2014 by europat55 with 673 views
Introduction
Notes from the organizer:
"Etienne Guigal founded his domaine in 1946, after working for 15 years in neighboring domaine Vidal Fleury. He also led the winemaking until 1961, at which point his son Marcel took over. (As an aside, Guigal acquired Vidal Fleury in 1984, although it is still run as a separate label.). Marcel produced his first Hermitage in 1964 and has made one in every vintage since then except for perhaps1965 and 1968 (both washouts for wine in the northern Rhone), with Marcel's son Phillippe more recently taking over winemaking duties. Guigal typically releases the Hermitage a full three or four years after everyone else -- while others are releasing their 2011s and offering futures on 2012s, the current vintage for Guigal Hermitage in the US is the 2007. Part of the reason is that Guigal believes that Syrahs from this appellation will benefit from extended oak aging -- the typical regimen is 36 months in oak, of which 50% is new. And another part of the reason is that they prefer to release an Hermitage which is more approachable to drink on release.
Perhaps the irony in this is that Guigal Hermitages can age gracefully for decades after release, with recent notes on in the 1978, e.g., still debating whether the wine can develop further even after 35 years in the bottle. These are old styled Rhones, with alcohols more in the 13s than 15s (although they have been edging up recently), and perhaps that's part of their secret for longevity. In any case, trying older Guigal Hermitages is an opportunity to look through a window back into how Rhones were a couple decades ago, before modern winemaking, superripeness and flashy international styling took front stage.
On Wednesday night, we'll try a range of eight Guigal Hermitages spanning a quarter century from the legendary 1978 through 2003. With the youngest two wines (those from this millennium), Guigal has begun to move towards the modern styling, and we'll have a chance to track their evolution away from the traditional as well as see how these Hermitages age."
NV Catherine et Pierre Breton La Dilettante Méthode Traditionnelle 86 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
Fresh nose, some brett (B+). Good palate (B). Tasted blind.
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NV Champagne Fabiènne Prié Champagne Cuvée Brut Reserve 85 Points
France, Champagne
Good fruity nose (B+). So-so palate (B-). Tasted blind.
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