Product Description
The Guigal Domaine was founded in 1946 by Etienne Guigal in the ancient village of Ampuis, home of the wines of the Côte-Rôtie. These vineyards are over 2,400 years old and the small terraced walls that are characteristic of the Roman period are still visible. Etienne Guigal arrived in this region in 1923 at the age of 14. He made over 67 vintages, and at the beginning of his career he participated in the development of Vidal-Fleury. Overlooking the Rhône River Despite his young age, Marcel Guigal took over from his father in 1961. Marcel’s hard work and perseverance enabled the Guigal’s to buy Vidal-Fleury in 1984, although the establishment retains its own identity and commercial autonomy. In total, the vineyards of the Guigal estate cover over 75 hectares, including illustrious plots in the Côte Rôtie; ‘La Landonne’, ‘La Mouline’ and ‘La Turque’, Condrieu ‘La Doriane’, Hermitage ‘Ex-Voto’ and many more, all of which have become flagships of their appellations. In addition to the acquisitions of exceptional vineyards over the years, the Guigal family obtained and lovingly restored the Château d’Ampuis, situated on the Rhône River with the backdrop of the Côte Brune and Côte Blonde hills. In 2006, the Guigal’s expanded their cellars in Ampuis, so that wine from both the northern and the southern appellations of the Rhône Valley could be produced and aged in the cellars. Today, Philippe Guigal, oenologist, is the third generation to continue the family endeavour to produce some of the Rhône Valley’s greatest wines. United as a family, Bernadette, Marcel, Philippe and Eve all work together to develop their family-owned and family run enterprise. Marcel Guigal was awarded Decanter Man of the Year in 2006 for his outstanding contribution to the development of the Rhône area. “Marcel Guigal is the name to be reckoned with in the Rhône. His family run company produces many of the region’s, if not the world’s, best wines – whether great value or high end.” Stephen Brook All of the Guigal estate vineyards are situated in the Northern Rhône and each one is managed by a vigneron team, who are overseen by Marcel and Philippe Guigal. All of these vineyards are harvested by hand. The wines produced from the Southern Rhône are purchased under long term contracts and the Guigal’s pay the highest price for their fruit. For their Côtes du Rhône alone, they can pay up to 3 times as much as the standard price, to ensure they obtain the best quality fruit.
