E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone Rouge 2019

Etienne Guigal founded his winery, now known worldwide, in 1946 in the ancient village of Ampuis. Etienne`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 enologist of "Guigal" and holds three higher education degrees. Speaking of him, Robert Parker stated that he had not encountered a winemaker in the last 20 years who cared 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 Etienne and ages wines longer than other producers in the Rhone Valley. For instance, 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. The Guigal company 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, only environmentally friendly methods are used to protect against insects, allowing the wines produced to vividly reflect the diversity of the soils of the Rhone Valley.