Guigal Côte-Rôtie Château d'Ampuis 2022

Guigal Côte-Rôtie Château d'Ampuis is a powerful, long-lived Côte-Rôtie named after the historic château the Guigal family restored in Ampuis.

Côte-Rôtie, the 'roasted slope', is a narrow band of steep, terraced hillsides above the Rhône, and it produces some of France's most perfumed and age-worthy Syrah. This cuvée draws Syrah from several of the house's best parcels across the Côte Brune and Côte Blonde, with a small share of Viognier as is traditional in the appellation, and it is aged for a long period in new French oak. The 2022 comes from a hot, tannic vintage: deep and dark with mauve tints, black fruit, prune, blackberry, spice and vanilla, a powerful, concentrated palate and solid tannins rounded by the long oak ageing.

This is a wine for the cellar, so allow it several years, then decant for a couple of hours and serve at around 17 to 18 degrees. Pair it with roast venison, rib of beef, braised lamb or a rich game pie.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.

Type: Red Wine
Style: Full-bodied, Powerful, Built for long ageing
Grape Varietal: Syrah (Shiraz) with a small share of Viognier
Tastes Like: Comparable to a cool-climate Syrah, finer and more savoury than warm-climate Shiraz, with more depth and structure
Alcohol Percentage: 14.5%
Closure: Cork
Size: 750mL
Appellation: Côte-Rôtie AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée, France's protected designation of origin, which sets where and how the wine is made)
Region: Ampuis, Northern Rhône, France
Terroir: Several of the house's best parcels across the steep, terraced Côte Brune and Côte Blonde
Aging: A long period in new French oak barrels before release
Serving Temperature: 17–18℃. Decant for a couple of hours

E. Guigal was founded in 1946 in Ampuis, the village beneath the slopes of Côte-Rôtie, by Étienne Guigal, who had worked at the Vidal-Fleury house there since his teens. His son Marcel took over in 1961 and made Guigal the best-known name in the Rhône Valley, and his grandson Philippe now leads the winemaking. The family bought Vidal-Fleury in 1984 and the Renaissance Château d'Ampuis in 1995, added the Grippat and de Vallouit domaines in 2001, and makes its own oak barrels at Ampuis. The house is known for patient ageing, giving its wines more time in cask before release than most.

This wine is named after the historic château the Guigal family restored on the riverbank at Ampuis. The 2022 comes from a hot, sunny vintage in the northern Rhône, giving a powerful, concentrated wine with solid tannins that the long time in oak has rounded. It is one for the cellar: allow it several years before opening, then decant.

Meat: Rib of beef with bone marrow, or braised lamb
Game: Roast venison or a rich game pie
Vegetables: Gratin of cardoons or a potato gratin
Poultry: Roast duck or pigeon

Saint-Marcellin: Soft and rich, the cheese of the Lyon bouchons
Comté (30 months): Firm and crystalline, a match for a powerful red
Abondance: A firm Alpine cheese with the depth for long-aged Syrah
Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage: A mild blue from the nearby mountains

Gratin de Cardons à la Moelle (Lyonnaise Cardoon Gratin with Bone Marrow)

Ingredients (Serves 6):

• 1.5kg cardoons (or 4 celery hearts or 6 fennel bulbs)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 4 marrow bones, cut by your butcher
• 40g butter
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 500mL hot beef stock
• 100mL thickened cream
• 60g grated Comté or Gruyère
• A pinch of nutmeg
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Trim the cardoons, peel away the strings and cut into 6cm lengths, dropping them into water with the lemon juice.
2. Simmer in salted water for 30 to 40 minutes until tender, then drain well.
3. Soak the marrow bones in cold salted water for an hour, push out the marrow and slice it into rounds. Poach the rounds for 1 minute in simmering water and drain.
4. Melt the butter, stir in the flour for 1 minute, then whisk in the hot stock and cream and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
5. Preheat the oven to 200℃. Layer the cardoons in a buttered gratin dish with the marrow, pour over the sauce and scatter with cheese.
6. Bake for 25 minutes until bubbling and golden. Serve alongside roast beef or on its own with crusty bread.

Cardoon gratin with bone marrow is a winter favourite of Lyon and the Lyonnais, the dish families bring out for celebrations and festive meals. Its rich, savoury depth calls for a powerful red, and a Côte-Rôtie from just down the river is the traditional choice, the wine's structure cutting through the marrow and cheese.