2012 Cotes du Rhone

Deep ruby. Spice- and smoke-accented cherry and dark berry aromas are complemented by suggestions of candied violet and cracked pepper. Spicy, energetic and sharply focused on the palate, offering concentrated bitter cherry and floral pastille flavors that open up slowly with air. Distinctly northern Rhône in personality and texture, featuring a peppery, floral-dominated finish, smooth tannins and excellent closing thrust and persistence. The quality of this bottling consistently outpaces its price and appellation, and that's especially true in this vintage.

A wine that should be on the market by the time you read this, the 2012 Cotes du Rhone from Guigal is a smokin’ value that offers classic southern Rhone notes of peppery herbs, smoked earth and almost chocolatey dark fruits. Medium plus-bodied, concentrated, with both fine tannin and bright acidity, it will deliver the good for at least 5-7 years.

This blend is based on representative samples of 50 of the 800+ lots of wine that go into this which will probably be bottled in Jan 2014 and released in 2015. Lots of rive droite wine this blend, especially from Ardèche which was especially good in 2012 when it was a relatively alcoholic vintage. Jolly and fruity on the palate but a slightly tired sample on the nose. Some tannins lurk underneath but I don't think this particular vintage is for very long keeping. Philippe Guigal says magnums of 2005 drink beautifully now. (JR)