Sunday, August 30, 2020

E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone, 2012

2012 E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône

 Guigal's Cotes du Rhone has a solid reputation for being reliable and ageworthy. It is always one of the best CDRs on the market. And I remember drinking many bottles from vintages such as 1978, 1983 and 1985 that were drinking beautifully well into their teen years. Nevertheless, this bottle from 2012, a vintage that I have enjoyed numerous times over the past five years, is a distinct disappointment.

The color is a deep ruby, what I expected. But the smells are definitely off. Donna and I were both ready to give it up as corked but I re-corked the bottle and put it back on the shelf just in case. The next night, the off smell was still there but not as strong. And it was not the wet cardboard smell of a corked wine. Nor was it the smell of an oxidized or over-the-hill wine. It was just funky and not in a pleasant way. And the flavors were getting better. On the fourth night, it was still drinkable and the funky smells were displaying a semblance of Syran/Grenache fruit. I am assuming this is just an off bottle

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