1995 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline

Opaque medium ruby. Spectacular, slightly roasted nose explodes with black cherry, raspberry, bitter chocolate, violet, charred oak and pepper. Hugely rich and thick, with great chewy concentration and fullness and a note of dark chocolate. Still extremely primary and a bit tough in the middle, then somewhat rough on the back end, which features slightly dusty tannins and palate-staining persistence. Obviously a wine from a small crop. Perhaps the most backward wine of the tasting, but with great long-term aging potential.

One of the treats when tasting through the profound Côte Rôties made by Marcel Guigal was the opportunity to taste all of the bottled 1995's. Reviewed in previous issues, they are even better from bottle than they were during their upbringing (a characteristic of many Guigal wines). The 1995 Côte Rôtie la Mouline is the stuff of legends and is every bit as compelling as readers might expect. This single vineyard wine will have at least 2 decades of longevity.