2013 E.Guigal Cotes du Rhone

A blend of 50% Syrah, 45% Grenache and 5% Mourvèdre sourced from vines with an average age of 35 years. Totally opaque dark red black colour with a dark red hue. Nosing reveals a combination of black cherry, black raspberry and liquorice aromas laced with dried herbs and spices. Despite the challenging vintage conditions the palate shows impressive richness and weight delivering generous flavours of black cherries, dark raspberries and liquorice over subtle infusions of dried herbs, earthy leather and spicy pepper. Slightly chewy yet ripe tannins provide good structure. Concludes with an aftertaste of spicy black cherries, dark raspberries, a touch of liquorice, earthy dried herbs and faint leather.
Drink over the next 3-4 years.
Alc 14%

Other Reviews….
The 2013 Côtes du Rhône, which is scheduled to be bottled in November, is a bigger, richer wine than I remember and has tons of ripe Syrah characteristics. Black olives, smoked earth, pepper and plenty of dark fruit all emerge from this inky-colored, straight-up impressive Côtes du Rhône.
89-91 points
Jeb Dunnuck – Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate