- CRITICAL REVIEWS
- WINEMAKER NOTES
JD
100
Jeb Dunnuck
As with the 2009, the 2010 Côte Rôtie La Turque represents the pinnacle of red wine and, in this reviewer’s opinion, couldn’t be any better. A dense purple color is followed by a powerful, masculine wine that has textbook ripe blackberry and cassis fruits interwoven with gorgeous floral, gamey, bloody, and exotic aromas and flavors. It’s concentrated, full-bodied, and multi-dimensional on the palate, with sweet, polished tannins, and a massive finish. It’s just now at the early stages of its drink window and have another 30 years of prime drinking ahead! Reviewed by Jeb Dunnuck. Tasting date: April 9, 2020. Drinking window: Before 2050.
RP
100
Robert Parker Wine Advocate
Both the 2010 and the 2009 continue to blow me away every time I taste them, and to me, these represent the pinnacle of Cote Rotie—albeit in very different styles. The 2010 Cote Rotie la Turque is a much more masculine and edgy wine that's going to reward cellaring. Its inky black color is followed by classic notes of smoked meats, scorched earth, licorice and ample black fruits. Big, rich, tannic and structured, don’t think about touching bottles until at least 2020. Reviewed by Jeb Dunnuck. Issue date: December 30, 2016. Drinking window: 2020-2050.
V
95
Vinous
Inky ruby. Heady, seductively perfumed aromas of dark berry liqueur, candied flowers, smoky minerals and olive paste. Sweet, palate-staining blackberry and violet pastille flavors are lifted and sharpened by juicy acidity and a hint of white pepper. Very rich but lively as well, finishing with strong back-end cut. Shows real power on the strikingly long finish, which features fine-grained tannins and sexy floral and Asian spice qualities. Reviewed by Josh Raynolds. Tasting date: December 2014. Drinking window: 2020 - 2040.
2010 E. Guigal Cote Rotie La Turque
Côte-Rôtie "La Turque" is one of the flagship of the Domaine GUIGAL. A powerful wine with spicy notes, its terroirs from côte brune with “blond accents” lends it a great elegance.
Of the three famous single-vineyard “LaLas” that Guigal produces and are the most collectible wines of the Rhone Valley, La Turque is the newest. This vineyard produced outstanding wines in the first half of the 20th century, but then was not used for wine production for nearly 50 years. The Guigals acquired the vineyard and re-planted it in 1980 and 1981, based on Etienne Guigal’s memory of the quality of the wines it once produced. The first vintage appeared in 1985. In both position and style, it sits between La Mouline and La Landonne: the complex soils lend an exotic character to La Turque, and its concentration and elegance exhibit the virility of the Côte Brune with the subtlety and femininity of the Côte Blonde.
The treasures are born in the very heart of the most legendary of the illustrious plots of the Maison Guigal. These precious bottles are as coveted as they are rare and have benefited from extreme care at every stage of the process, from the vine to the cellars. They are the sole incarnation of the inspiration and inheritance of centuries of viticulture in an exceptional terroir.
Soil type
Silicone limestone with schistes producing clay soil rich in iron oxyde.
Grape variety
93% Syrah, 7% Viognier
Average age of vines
25 years
Winemaking
Thermoregulated stainless steel tanks. Automated punching down. Alcoholic fermentation/ 4 week maceration.
Ageing
42 months in new oak.
Average yield
35 Hl / hectare.
Tasting
Eye : Deep ruby red with dark tints.
Nose : Small red fruit, blackberry, morello cherry Intensely aromatic, powerful and elegant.
Palate : Supple attack with a balanced supple structure, concentration and elegant tannins. Fully expressive of the terroir.
Overall : With all the virility of the Côte Brune, La Turque also has all the subtlety and femininity of the Côte Blonde.