Important Update From the Founder
Read message >
Vertical tasting of Guigal La Turque
Esperanto, Stockholm
Tasted October 9, 2012 by Vintomas with 582 views
Introduction
This vertical tasting of La Turque crowned a trio of Guigal Masterclasses held by their Swedish importer Vinunic, and included a dinner at the restaurant Esperanto.
Looking back at my notes, it looks like I was even more frugal in my scoring than usual that evening. Perhaps the calibration of my palate wasn't quite up to the challenge of being exposed to that many top wines without first tasting a simpler wine as reference, because when I read my own notes (which I consider more important than the score on its own) it's obvious how much I liked the wines. I don't see any point in trying to recalibrate my scores (such as adjusting all La Turque scores by +1 point) more than a year after the fact, so you'll just get them the way I jotted them down that evening. In any case, the scores still show my order of preference at this tasting.
Flight 1 - 8 vintages of La Turque (8 notes)
Red
2008 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque
90 points
Nose with cherries, strong flowery notes of violets, some liquorice, a hint of herbs, well integrated oak. Definitely elegant. Medium bodied(+), palate with slightly sweetish note, cherries and red berries, noticeably tart already in the attack, slightly spicy, medium tannins (well embedded in the fruit), mineral. The aftertaste is tart and fruity with slightly angular tannins. Young, the nose is better than the palate, 89-90+.
The 2008 shows a little lighter coloured notes than the 2007, and a slightly harder tannic structure. It is clearly a good and elegant wine for the vintage, which was a difficult one.
The 2008 shows a little lighter coloured notes than the 2007, and a slightly harder tannic structure. It is clearly a good and elegant wine for the vintage, which was a difficult one.
Red
2007 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque
94 points
Nose with blackberries and dark cherries, notes of ripe berries with a sweetish impression, noticeably flowery with violets, some tar, well integrated oak. After a while in the glass, animal notes emerge. Definitely elegant. Full bodied(-), palate with blackberries, dark cherries, some tartness, powerful concentration of fruit, balsamico notes, medium+ tannins but rather soft and well integrated. Long, fruity and tart aftertaste. Rather young, but accessible, 93-94+.
2007 shows a little sweeter and darker notes in the nose compared to the 2008, and has a more soft tannic structure.
2007 shows a little sweeter and darker notes in the nose compared to the 2008, and has a more soft tannic structure.
Red
2006 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque
93 points
Nose with dark berries including blackcurrants, some cherries, aromatic and flowery notes, spice, rather well integrated oak. Elegant. Full bodied(-), cherries, powerful concentration of fruit, some sweetness of fruit, some tartness with a hint of bitterness, medium+ tannins but rather soft and well integrated. Fruity and tart aftertaste. Young, reasonably approachable, some tendency to being closed/in a ”dumb phase”? 92-93+
2006 is more spicy and less flowery than 2007 and 2008, and has a little more tannins than 2007. It shows some emerging mature notes and a bit more of a Bordeaux feeling.
2006 is more spicy and less flowery than 2007 and 2008, and has a little more tannins than 2007. It shows some emerging mature notes and a bit more of a Bordeaux feeling.
Red
2004 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque
92 points
Nose with cherries, some dark berries and sweet red berries, aromatic notes, slightly herbaceous with green notes. Elegant, the nose grew in the glass. Palate with rather ripe red berries including cherries, good concentration of fruit, some sweetness of fruit, some tartness, medium tannins, tart aftertaste with rather hard tannins. Young but approachable, on its way out of a “dumb phase”? 91-92+
The green notes in the nose clearly sets 2004 apart from the other vintages of the 2000s that were included in this tasting. It is a little lighter in style than 2006 and 2007, and considerably lighter than the two vintages it is sandwiched between, 2003 and 2005.
The green notes in the nose clearly sets 2004 apart from the other vintages of the 2000s that were included in this tasting. It is a little lighter in style than 2006 and 2007, and considerably lighter than the two vintages it is sandwiched between, 2003 and 2005.
Red
2005 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque
95 points
Nose with ripe dark berries, slightly sweetish but balanced fruity note, aromatic, mild spice, some balsamico, well integrated oak. Definitely elegant. Initially a bit discrete nose, but amplified in the glass. Full bodied, palate with cherries and dark berries, powerful concentration of fruit, powerful but well integrated and velvety tannins. Long aftertaste with tart fruit and polished tannins. Rather young, although accessible, but will gain from cellaring, 95+.
That the nose initially was rather discrete indicates that it is currently in a bit of “dumb phase”, which is what I had expected of any powerful red 2005 from any of the classical French wine regions, at 7 years of age. Tasting notes from when it was released indicate a more expressive nose at that time. The palate isn’t closed or “dumb” in the same way, so the wine was actually more accessible than I had expected.
I would wait until at least 10 years of age, at the earliest 2015, before drinking, and even then I would allow it several hours of decanting.
That the nose initially was rather discrete indicates that it is currently in a bit of “dumb phase”, which is what I had expected of any powerful red 2005 from any of the classical French wine regions, at 7 years of age. Tasting notes from when it was released indicate a more expressive nose at that time. The palate isn’t closed or “dumb” in the same way, so the wine was actually more accessible than I had expected.
I would wait until at least 10 years of age, at the earliest 2015, before drinking, and even then I would allow it several hours of decanting.
Red
1996 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque
94 points
Nose with ripe cherries, slightly sweetish red berries and a hint of dark berries, rather flowery, some herbaceous nores, mild oriental spices, developed notes with a discrete animal note. Dominating berry aromas but rather noticeable development; quite elegant. Full bodied-, slightly sweetish fruit, ripe cherries, red and some dark berries, velvety tannins, mineral, some spice. Rather fully mature but still berry-dominated nose and palate, 94.
The first wine in the lineup with noticeable development in the nose.
The first wine in the lineup with noticeable development in the nose.
Red
1991 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque
98 points
Nose with sweetish and partially dried red berries with some dark berries, rather aromatic, mixed spice with allspice and rather mild oriental spices, animal notes with leather and some meat juices, well integrated oak. Fully mature nose, very elegant. Full bodied, palate with concentrated notes of cherries and dark berries with some red berries, velvety medium+ tannins that are very well integrated, some spice, long aftertaste with berries and balanced tannins. Elegant and well balanced, fully mature but still with berry aromas in the nose and on the palate, no hurry to drink up, 98.
Without any doubt the best wine this evening, with power and perfect ripeness in combination.
Without any doubt the best wine this evening, with power and perfect ripeness in combination.
Red
2003 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque
94 points
Sweetish nose av very ripe dark berries, flowery with violets, sweetish tar and liquorice notes, some oak. Powerful and young nose with elegance; rather makes me think of an elegant New World wine. Full bodied, palate with massive concentration of fruit, sweetish dark berries, peppery spice, some tartness, the alcoholic fire can be felt a little, the tannins are somewhat velvety but still rather tough. Fruity aftertaste with some toughness from the tannins. Young, but reasonably accessible, 94+.
This was the only vintage where the alcohol was noticeable. It is in a way a very impressive wine, but it comes across as atypical when tasted next to the other vintages. The very hot 2003 vintage has obviously made its mark on the wine. This mark makes me slightly less enthusiastic than some other tasters and wine critics.
This was the only vintage where the alcohol was noticeable. It is in a way a very impressive wine, but it comes across as atypical when tasted next to the other vintages. The very hot 2003 vintage has obviously made its mark on the wine. This mark makes me slightly less enthusiastic than some other tasters and wine critics.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Flight 2 - Additional dinner wines (4 notes)
White - Sparkling
N.V. Louis Roederer Champagne Brut Premier
88 points
Nose with citrus, yellow apple and peach. Palate with citrus, yellow fruit, good acidity, a hint of spice, grapefruit, fruity and fresh aftertaste. Rather young, but fully accessible, 88 p.
White
2010 E. Guigal Condrieu La Doriane
92 points
Nose with ripe pear, peach, white flowers, some spice, a hint of vanilla and some oak, mineral. Full bodied, oily palate with rather low acidity in the attack, ripe pears, noticeable mineral, spice, a hint of alcohol, and a hint of bitterness. Aftertaste with oily impression and mineral notes. Young, 91-92+
Red
2008 E. Guigal St. Joseph Vignes de L'Hospice
89 points
Nose with cherries, some dark berries, slightly sweetish fruit, a hint of tar, some spice, some oak. Medium bodied, palate with cherries, decent concentration of fruit, rather good acidity, medium but slightly hard tannins. Young, 88-89+.
Also in this case a good wine in a difficult vintage, showing a lighter style in terms of concentration and slightly harder tannins than usual.
Also in this case a good wine in a difficult vintage, showing a lighter style in terms of concentration and slightly harder tannins than usual.
Red
2009 E. Guigal St. Joseph Vignes de L'Hospice
93 points
Nose with concentrated dark berries, some tar and graphite powder, a hint of flowery notes. Full bodied(-), dark berries, ripe cherries, a hint of sweetness of fruit, rather present medium+ tannins, fruity and tannic aftertaste. The impression of sweetness is definitely kept in check. Young, 93+.
Tougher than typical 2009 Crozes-Hermitage, which were the Northern Rhône wines I had tasted the most of at this time.
Tougher than typical 2009 Crozes-Hermitage, which were the Northern Rhône wines I had tasted the most of at this time.
Closing
In summary: quite an amazing vertical of a true top wine! Neither 1991 nor 1996 showed any signs of becoming tired, which proves how long-lived these wines are. At the same time, the young vintages are rather accessible for a wine of this profile. The vintages 2003-2006 are surprisingly accessible for their age, with 2005 the big surprise. I assume that it is the style of Guigal, combining sweet fruit and a long time in oak barrels, that contributes to this.