E. Guigal Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge 2017

Étienne Guigal founded his winery, now known worldwide, in 1946 in the ancient village of Ampuis. Étienne`s son, Marcel Guigal, began helping his father and working at the winery at a young age, eventually taking over from his elderly father, who suddenly went blind. Marcel poured not only all his strength but also his soul into the family business. Today, Marcel`s 29-year-old son, Philippe Guigal, continues the family winemaking traditions. He serves as the chief winemaker of Guigal and holds three higher education degrees. Speaking of him, Robert Parker stated that he had not met a winemaker in the last 20 years who cares so fanatically about the quality of his wines. His words are not an exaggeration: the current owner of Guigal is a true perfectionist, and this trait helps him produce a range of truly magnificent wines. Philippe remains true to the traditions laid down by his grandfather Étienne and ages the wines longer than other producers in the Rhône Valley. For example, the elite wine "Guigal, Cote-Rotie" spends 36 to 42 months in oak barrels. The pursuit of perfection has led Philippe to install new equipment at the winery and build new cellars. Guigal owns truly unique vineyards — the oldest in France, planted over 2400 years ago. Another feature is that some of them are located on 65-degree slopes and are worked only by hand. Additionally, to protect against insects, only environmentally friendly methods are used, so the wines produced reflect the diversity of the soils of the Rhône Valley most vividly.