2003 E. Guigal St. Joseph- France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph (9/29/2009)
This bottle is in a really good space right now. The ‘ripe’ 2003 vintage makes for perhaps a non-traditional St. Joseph, but with this amount of age on it, it is a fantastic wine, particularly for the price. Dark, reddish purple in color, nice substantial mouthfeel with some silkiness and heft, tannic structure is there, but they are nicely rounded and ripe at this stage, and the black fruits and cured meat are easily noticeable, and carry through to the finish. I’m very much enjoying this wine, and wish I had more than just a couple bottles remaining. It is a tremendous value in a year that was largely dismissed in Rhone, creating a wine that is a nice hybrid between a traditional and modern wine. (91 pts.)
I bought a truckload of this stuff from winex when it was at $13. Such an good wine for that price. Unfortunately, I could not keep my hands off of them and I have long since polished off my last bottle.
Given your presence in the NSFW part of this site, I first thought your comments about Mad Men were simple irony. Then I realized you were serious! Glad you’re coming around. I watch Mad Men with pad and pencil. If The Sopranos provided guidance on how to run a business, Mad Men is a primer on how to be a real man.
I knocked down another bottle of this wine last night (only one more remains) and enjoyed it just as much as the one posted here. It was a fantastic match with pizza, and enjoyable on its own. Very rustic, and the fruit was ripe, not overripe.
I’m enjoying a glass of this 2003 Guigal rouge [St Joseph] as I prep dinner tonite. My example is a cloudy red/brown with a tinge of lightening at the edges. Full bodied, big legs. I get plums, pepper, smoke on the nose. It’s a nice bouquet actually. In the mouth, it feels atypical. I do not get the brightness that I’d expect. Reflecting its vintage its fat and fleshy, and easy to drink without food. In fact I might have scarfed off half the bottle already. Generally the SO does not care for Northern Rhones, so no one will be carping at me. However, if I was tasting this blind, I wouldn’t be able to peg this to the grape or region. Delicious but not what one would expect. I stood this up for a few days prior to consumption, but there is murkiness here after being chilled then popped and poured. I don’t think it needs decanting. It might have been better a few years ago, but it’s still very nice. I know this sounds weird, but it almost tastes like a mature Pauillac to me. The finish is somewhat figgy, but not lengthy, maybe 15-20 seconds. Even though its not a normal example of its AOC, it does show that Guigal’s negociant wines shouldn’t be overlooked by wine enthusiasts. I didn’t get the deal it sounds like some prior commenters got, but I felt like it was good value. I hope 2015 turns out to be hot, and like the 2003. It’s a B++ for me. EDIT: an hour later - I forgot to note that the label states 12.5% which does not feel accurate to me; it is possible they just used a stock label or something. There is also a huge amount of crusting inside the bottle, after I decided to decant it.
In general, I’ve nothing to complain about Guigal’s negociant wines that I’ve had with respect to their, imho, satisfactory price-to-quality ratios. In fact, all the way up to the Brune-et-Blonde and d’Ampuis levels.
However, I’ve not been impressed with the few, 5 or 6 different vintages of, La La’s that I’ve had (all due to the generosity of my co-wine dinner attendees), as based on the pricing that they command.
My experience with aged Guigal wines is that they always throw a ton of sediment, I would recommend standing them up for several days prior to consumption.
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