The great glories of this house are its Cote Roties, of which there are now five separate offerings. The single-vineyard 1994s were singing loudly when I saw them in July. All of them scored significantly higher than they did during the two previous years, which is not unusual as Guigal's upbringing (elevage) of the wines results in better examples in the bottle than in cask. All three wines flirt with a perfect score. At this tasting, they reminded me of Guigal's 1982s - opulent, sumptuously-textured, forward, rich, precocious, flattering wines that will drink well throughout their lives. The exotic 1994 Cote Rotie La Turque exhibits a dense purple color, and a fabulously-scented nose of licorice, Asian spices, truffles, minerals, and gobs of black fruits. Full-bodied, with great richness, a multi-layered personality, and an exotic, overripe character, this is a sensational, chocolatey, rich wine with more tannin than La Mouline. (RP) - WA
WA96
A masculine and muscular wine. Quite woody, an international style of Syrah that's appealing, seductive and polished, with supple, ripe tannins. The toasted oak dominates the fruit now, but this full-bodied red may well turn more harmonious with time as it has plenty of red and blackberry character to support all the wood. The finish is infused with lovely mocha, spice, toasted bread notes. (PM) - WS
WS90