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Community Tasting Notes 138
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Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 93 points
January 10, 2024 - Double decanted to remove sediments, lots of black fruits, char, bacon fat, quite full bodied, still big & bold but balanced & very good now, just lacked bit of precision
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wineton.mee wrote: 92 points
December 28, 2023 - Another good (thought not great) showing from old guigals. Didn’t appear that old at all but the sentiments in the wine gave it away. Some pepper, red fruits, tobacco notes.
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melvinyeowq wrote: 91 points
December 26, 2023 - Boxing day at Caroline's: Unlike my previous experience, this was an obvious northern Rhone with smoky bacon, leathery notes. Not my bottle but managed to guess this as a late ‘80s / early ‘90s Hermitage because of all the Guigals that I have opened. Dark red fruit with a blue tinge. Good, but not as epic as the previous bottle.
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NoahCap wrote:
December 22, 2023 - An excellent bottle- high fill, perfect cork.
Translucent garnet with light bricking. Blackberry, licorice, olive, and worn leather. The aroma list reads like classic N Rhone Syrah, and in a way it has those classic smells, but there is a difficult to describe perfume-y quality that feels very much like Burgundy. Many commenters here mention calling this as Burgundy and I completely understand where they are coming from.
The body is light, acidity is medium, still a bit of fine powdery tannins. The flavors are balanced between fruit (red and black), olives, garrigue, salted licorice, and tertiary notes of turned earth, worn leather, and saddle soap. Again, there is a delicacy in the presentation of flavor that I don't really associated with the Rhone or Syrah. It has the esthetic of an aged Gevrey.
Though delicate, this did open nicely over the course of several hours. I poured it very gently into a narrow necked decanter so as not to blast it with oxygen, and I think that was a the right approach. I wouldn't say it put on weight exactly, but it did shed some of the thin acidic characteristics that aged wine can have.
This is not a powerful burly Hermitage. It is light, subtle, and though probably best 5-8 yrs ago, is beautiful now. Drink this if you have it; it'll hold for a while but I think it's on a long slow decline. Really beatiful now, but treat it delicately and pair it with a roast chicken or mushrooms as opposed to a big beef roast. Enjoy!2 people found this helpful Comment -
Border Boss Likes this wine:
October 28, 2023 - A very good bottle. Brick red with browning. Definitely tertiary, but a nice wine to drink with lamb.
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More notes
Pro Reviews 4
Add a Pro ReviewWine Library TV
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By Gary Vaynerchuk
Northern Rhone Tasting: Guigal 1990 Hermitage, Episode #722, 8/18/2009 (link) 91+ points(Guigal Hermitage) COLOR-dark with a brown/copper edge; NOSE-subtle greenness; a very intriguing horseradish component that I really like; dark cherries; a gamey/steak-like component; PALATE-very interesting; heavy component of basil, cilantro & bell peppers; then it gets quite peppery; then it opens up to a tremendous 3rd quarter; right after the mid-palate, the wine gets bigger; there's a lot fruit (sour cherry); I love the white pepper; I get a lime flower component on the solid finish; showing tremendously for a 20 year old wine; packs a beautiful punch; has great polish which is spectacular; I really like where this wine is going; should last a good 3-4 years; great food wine; GV-91+
RJonWine.com
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By Richard Jennings
12/12/2008 (link) 91 points(E. Guigal Hermitage) Medium red color with pale meniscus; mature black fruit, mushroom and beef jus nose; dense, youthful, tart black fruit, berry and smoke palate; medium-plus finish 91+ pts.
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By Richard Jennings
12/9/2008 (link) 94 points(E. Guigal Hermitage) Dark red violet color; mature, smoky, mushroom, lamb jus, pepper and horseradish nose; pepper, lamb jus, mushroom and tart black fruit palate with resolved tannins; medium-plus finish 94+ pts.
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By Richard Jennings
3/20/2004 (link) 93 points(E. Guigal Hermitage) Subtle meaty nose; light, meaty palate with resolved tannins; medium finish 93+ pts.
Wine Definition
- Vintage 1990
- Type Red
- Producer E. Guigal
- Varietal Syrah
- Designation n/a
- Vineyard n/a
- Country France
- Region Rhône
- SubRegion Northern Rhône
- Appellation Hermitage
- UPC Code 790559201002
Community Holdings
- Pending Delivery 4 (0%)
- In Cellars 722 (53%)
- Consumed 636 (47%)
Food Pairing
No food pairings available.
Who Likes This Wine
100% Like It 24 votes
Add Articles
- Wine1990 E. Guigal Hermitage (add)
- FamilyE. Guigal Hermitage (add)
- ProducerE. Guigal
- VarietalSyrah
- CountryFrance
- RegionRhône
- SubRegionNorthern Rhône
- AppellationHermitage