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2003 E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone - Printable Version

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- wondersofwine - 03-28-2006

13% alcohol by volume
This wine started out with too many "t's"--too tart and too tannic. It seemed to improve the second night, sipping it with smoked Gouda cheese, but I can't say I was entranced with it. It cost about $13 and was being hyped by the wine shop. They report that it is generally half Syrah, much of it from the Northern Rhone and that Robert Parker calls it the best Guigal Cotes-du-Rhone EVER, saying it is "a knockout, loaded with fruit and body." I don't know--do you suppose my bottle suffered heat damage in France before shipping? I know Carolina Wine Company is very careful about how their wine is shipped across the ocean and it is stored in a 55 degree F. warehouse once delivered to them. Has anyone else tried this 2003 CdR (maybe Bucko on his travels?)

[This message has been edited by wondersofwine (edited 03-28-2006).]


- winoweenie - 03-28-2006

Haven't picked this up as me pusher is still ridding the 02 but will see if I can obtain a bottle in Sab Diego week-after next. WW


- redsauced - 03-30-2006

I think this wine is over-hyped. I've seen similiar procalmations in one my shops as well.
The "knockout" is the kind that makes you turn your head, until like you say, some cheese is added to the mix. This counteracts the tartness quite well. Hey, but what if we were out of cheese? I've had plenty of nice Cotes du Rhone in the price range, even the 02 which were better.


- brappy - 04-03-2006

I don't know??..... I started this one off with a double-decant. So maybe I cheated, but I'm too impatient to wait for the tannins to soften up. The bottle has been open(and I've had 2 glasses by now) for 1 and 1/2 hrs. The nose is progressing nicely. At first the nose was a bit muted, but now the fruit is coming along with black or/and blue fruits. It seems the grenache is what's holding this wine together.

The palate has come around also. Also full of dark fruits. Some of the Syrah is peeking out but again it's the grenache that's coming through. The front palate is still not really there but the mid and back are great. It's the back palate the syrah is really peeking its head out.

I never did get the "Tart" thing, but I only took a small taste before decanting. so decanting may have cleared that up. The tannins have softened, but are still gripping. I can't help but think this wine will go some distance. In fact, I believe maybe 7 to 10 yrs, but that's just a guess.

I can't say that the wine is overhyped but I don't know how much "hyping" was done. The sad thing is, a lot of the guys/gals overhyping any wine, whether right or wrong, don't have the foggiest clue in what's going on with the wine they're overhyping. I tasted this once before with a rep who brought it in the restaurant. She told me the "scores"; opened up the bottle and poured. I thought the tannins were going to rip the top of my mouth right off. I asked her about the tannins and the look on her face was pure confusion. Very frustrating....

Oh well..... try the wine out again if you feel like it, but I'm going hold a few bottles just to test my aging theory. BTW, in the time it took me to type this (while watching a movie), the syrah is much more pronounced. The wine is very enjoyable, especially at $13.

mark


- brappy - 04-03-2006

As a side note, I just checked out Bob's note on e-Bob. He used the words lightly tannic. I wonder how long the wine decanted before he tasted, as this seems the only way the tannins could soften enough to be considered light. If I were showing this wine, I'd double decant and let it rest for about 2.5 or 3 hours before tasting, so maybe, that's what was done.

Wonders, I don't see where he said this was the best EVER. I do see where he talks about Mr. Guigal saying the vintage ('03) is the best in his lifetime, but I believe he was talking about the vintage as a whole and not just the CDR.

mark


- wondersofwine - 04-04-2006

Thanks Mark for your notes. It has been my experience in the past that most Cotes du Rhone don't need a lot of decanting so I wasn't prepared for this one to be so tannic (especially in a vintage known for ripe or overripe fruit). Maybe age would help. I didn't realize until I went to pick up some stored wines yesterday that I had ordered three bottles of this. I asked the retailer to put them back and let me get something else in exchange. I also canceled one bottle of a Bordeaux order and instead took home Eric Ross "Saralee" Vineyard Pinot Noir and the 2001 Del Bondio Cabernet Sauvignon. More on the Pinot Noir later.


- redsauced - 04-04-2006

Mark,

Thanks for being so thorough with your examination. I should not rush to judgement without taking the proper steps. Perhaps I will try again with your methods. Sometimes I'm impatient, not a good quality in tasting and wine appreciation/understanding.