2018 E Guigal Cote-Rotie La Landonne, Northern Rhone

The 2018 Côte Rôtie La Landonne is a different beast, as always. Inky black-hued, with a monster of a nose revealing tons of smoked black fruits, cured meats, tobacco, ground pepper, and graphite. It has an almost Pauillac-like profile and is full-bodied, deep, and concentrated on the palate, with building tannins, flawless balance, and a huge finish. Pure raw power, this needs at least a decade of bottle age and will be one of the longest-lived wines in the vintage.

98+ points jebdunnuck.com Dec 2022

Subtle hints of fresh pea shoots accent characteristic dark notes of roasted meat, espresso and black olives in the full-bodied 2018 Cote Rotie La Landonne. Rich, concentrated and velvety-textured, with ample length and plenty of ripe tannins on the finish, it should benefit from a decade or more of bottle age—once it gets there. It's a brooding beast of a Cote Rotie that serious collectors will want to have in their cellars. Drink 2025-2045.

98-100 points Joe Czerwinski robertparker.com Feb 2022

From the steep, schist rich slopes of Côte Rôtie’s famed La Landonne vineyard, this wine represents one of the Northern Rhône’s most powerful and age worthy Syrah expressions. La Landonne is known for its darker, more muscular profile compared to its neighbouring lieux dits, with iron rich schist soils delivering structure, depth and serious intensity. E. Guigal has elevated this site to legendary status through meticulous vineyard work, long élevage and an uncompromising focus on concentration, balance and longevity. This is Syrah at its most commanding, yet still defined by precision and terroir.

The colour is deep, inky purple with remarkable density. Aromas are intense and layered, showing blackberry, black plum and cassis, followed by smoked meat, cracked pepper, violets, graphite and subtle oak spice. The palate is full bodied and monumental, with dense dark fruit, powerful yet finely grained tannins and a vibrant acid spine that gives extraordinary length. There is a deep savoury and mineral core that builds through the finish, marking this as a true icon wine built for decades of evolution.

Superb with slow roasted lamb, beef short ribs, venison and richly spiced dishes. Built for long term cellaring, it will evolve beautifully for twenty to thirty plus years, gaining profound complexity and silkiness.