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Côte Rôtie Château d'Ampuis, Etienne Guigal 2018

RegionRhône
Subregion France > Rhône > Northern Rhône > Côte Rotie
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietySyrah

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Label

Tasting Notes

Not scheduled to be on the market until November of 2023, the 2018 Côte Rôtie Chateau D'Ampuis is nevertheless a remarkable Côte Rôtie that readers will love to have in the cellar. Sporting a deep ruby/purple hue as well as awesome Côte Rôtie notes of smoked game, violets, acacia flowers, and both red and black fruits, this beauty is medium to full-bodied, has polished, seamless tannins, and a layered, perfectly balanced mouthfeel. It shows the softer style of the vintage (especially compared to the more structured, tannic 2019) and already offers pleasure, but this will easily evolve for at least two decades. 2023 - 2038

97
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, December 2022

Smoky, briary and complex, the 2018 Cote Rotie Chateau d'Ampuis spent 38 months in new oak, yet it still exudes notes of blackberries and blueberries, testament to the wine's ample concentration. It's full-bodied and rich yet silky and long, with hints of mocha and brown sugar appearing on the finish. It's another beautiful vintage of this cuvée, which combines fruit from seven different parcels (three on the Cote Blonde and four on the Cote Brune).

95+
Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate, February 2022

Lastly, the 2018 Côte Rôtie Château D'Ampuis is going to flirt with perfection and is about as classic Côte Rôtie as they come. Lots of cassis, graphite, spring flowers, vanilla, and game notes all give way to a full-bodied Côte Rôtie that’s flawlessly balanced, has silky tannins, no hard edges, and a great, great finish. This will be another stunning vintage for this wine that readers can find for a fraction of the cost of the top La Las. It’s worth the money.

97/100
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, December 2019

Built along the lines of the 2015, the 2018 Cote Rotie Chateau d'Ampuis is full-bodied, rich, ripe and concentrated. It seems awfully easy to drink right now, yet I'm confident the underlying structure will be revealed in time. Vanilla and mocha notes accent huge fruit—a mix of blueberries and raspberries—finishing plush and long.

95/97
Joe Czerwinski, RobertParker.com, December 2019
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.