2021 Cote Rotie Chateau d'Ampuis

A solid step up, the 2021 Côte Rôtie Château D'Ampuis offers ripe red and black fruits, bacon fat, flowers, and violets. Medium-bodied and nicely concentrated, it has ripe tannins, a silky texture, and no hard edges. Based on 93% Syrah and 7% Viognier and aged all in new French oak for 38 months, this beautiful effort will evolve for 15+ years. Drink 2025-2040. This reference point estate continues to produce brilliant wines, yet subtle, not insignificant changes are underway. First, there's a new Côte Rôtie La La in the lineup, the Côte Rôtie La Reynarde, created in honor of Philippe and Eve's twin sons, Etienne and Charles. Sourced from a small parcel in the Fongeant lieu-dit planted in 2015, it is 100% Syrah, not destemmed, and vinified with punch-downs only, similar to La Turque. It will see the same 40+ months in new barrels as its siblings. While 2022 will be the first vintage released, I've been lucky enough to taste this cuvée since 2019, and stylistically it fits nicely between La Turque and La Landonne, unquestionably meriting its place alongside the other La Las. Second, there's been a shift in barrel sourcing starting with the 2020 vintage, moving away from Seguin-Moreau to tighter-grained Chassin wood. This change, driven by a warming climate and the family's goal of slightly reducing oak impact, is clearly noticeable in the current releases. Looking at the vintages reviewed here, the 2023s are ripe yet incredibly pure, showing a terrific mix of elegance and depth while still bringing remarkable concentration. It's still early for these cuvées, yet the larger yields and shift in oak sourcing give them a slightly more charming, accessible style. The 2022s are ripe but not excessive, with sun-kissed fruit and no shortage of tannins. I think these will age gracefully, although I still give the nod to the 2019s and 2020s. Marcel Guigal compared the 2022 vintage to 1982, which I unfortunately didn't taste on release. The 2021s show the challenges of the vintage but are medium-bodied, ripe, and satisfying and will be on a faster evolutionary track. The 2021 whites, however, are superb, offering terrific richness paired with freshness. The 2020s lead with their fruit and are another great vintage for the estate, although I still favor the 2019s, which stand at the top of the trio of great recent vintages, reminding me of the 2010s. Nevertheless, the 2020s will be ready much sooner than the 2019s and are truly sensational wines. Founded in 1946 by Etienne Guigal, Domaine Guigal has been one of the world's greatest wine estates for over seven decades. Today, Etienne's son Marcel and grandson Philippe continue to lead, with longtime collaborator Jacques Desvernois also playing a key role. Due to the long élevage of the cuvées, tastings typically span four vintages of each main release. The top Côte Rôties have always seen a full four years in new French oak, and even their Southern Rhône releases spend extended time in oak. There are two main Saint Josephs: the Saint Joseph Vignes de l'Hospice, from a cooler, east-facing granite slope above Tournon (harvested 5-7 days later than nearby sites), which always shows a Hermitage-like structure and aging ability; and the Saint Joseph Lieu-Dit Saint Joseph, from a warmer, south-facing site, offering broader, more immediate appeal. As to the Côte Rôties, there are six main releases. The Brune et Blonde is the entry-level cuvée, from a mix of estate and purchased fruit. Château d'Ampuis, named after the family's historic estate acquired in 1995, blends fruit from seven top estate vineyards and is handled exactly like the single vineyard La Las, seeing 42 months in new oak. In top vintages, its quality can rival the La Las. The four single-vineyard La Las - La Mouline, La Turque, La Reynarde, and La Landonne - each see 48 months in new French oak and reflect their respective terroirs. La Mouline (first vintage 1966) is from the Côte Blonde, includes up to 10% Viognier, and is always the most approachable and earliest maturing. La Turque (first vintage 1985) comes from a steep parcel in the Côte Brune, co-ferments Syrah and Viognier (roughly 93/7%), and shows slightly more minerality and structure than La Mouline, needing longer in bottle. The new La Reynarde fits stylistically between La Turque and La Landonne. La Landonne (first vintage 1978) is 100% Syrah from the Côte Brune, the most backward, structured, and age-worthy of the lineup. Turning to Hermitage, Guigal produces three cuvées: a base Hermitage Rouge and Blanc, and a Hermitage Ex-Voto in exceptional vintages. Parcels were acquired in 2001 from Jean-Louis Grippat and Domaine de Vallouit, primarily from Le Méal, Les Bessards, Les Greffieux, and Dionnières. The base Hermitage Rouge sees three years in 50% new oak, while the Ex-Voto Rouge and Blanc spend four years in new oak, matching the La Las. The Ex-Voto Blanc, a blend of Marsanne and Roussanne from Les Murets and l'Hermite, undergoes primary and malolactic fermentation in barrel and is bottled unfined and unfiltered. Despite the long élevage and use of new oak, mature bottles leave no doubt about the genius here. In short, these single-vineyard Côte Rôties and Hermitages are some of the greatest wines money can buy.

After last year’s showing from barrel was inconclusive, the bottled version of the 2021 Côte-Rôtie Château d'Ampuis fares much better. Pencil shaving, fresh violet, red plum, cedar and an espresso shot frame its complex aromatic profile. Less bold and concentrated compared to the preceding vintages, the 2021 feels like taking a time capsule back into the 1980s, with its lean, taut stature, firm acidic backbone and just ripe fruit. A long, refined finish wraps it up. This was vinified with roughly 15% whole clusters.

There’s something odd about the 2021 Côte-Rôtie Château d'Ampuis. Dusty red fruits emerge from the glass, followed by leafy undertones and cedar traces. Maybe I just caught the 2021 at a wrong moment, but the apparent lack of energy also has me worried. I asked Philippe Guigal if he would like to replace the sample, but he chose not to. Tasting the finished wine from bottle will hopefully be more conclusive.