Year in and year out, the Cotes du Rhone from E Guigal has been a winner. Our last review was the 2011 vintage which we thoroughly enjoyed, and this one might be a step up from there.
Let's set aside the unbelievable Costco price on this wine for a minute ($12.89) and dive into the wine, which drinks like it's priced two or three times what it is. Give this one out blind to Rhone fans and see what they guess it to be. I'd peg it as a higher end Gigondas, or even Chateauneuf.
The wine is comprised of 50% Syrah, 45% Grenache and 5% Mourvèdre so it's the classic Rhone varietals. Fresh on the nose, floral and spicy with hints of cinnamon; big and bold in the mouth, full bodied with a blast of dark fruit; more spice and pepper notes towards the finish which is bone dry.
There's really nothing not to like here. Fans of Rhone wines will be impressed. Other red wine fans should take note of the Rhone valley as a hot bed for value buys, this bottle being the golden child of recent Rhone bottles we've tried. And like all Rhone wines, you can pair this with almost any cuisine.
Thanks Costco. This is one I plan to stock up on at this ridiculous price.
Parker went 91 points which is pretty big but it speaks to the caliber of the wine we're talking about. I'm going to come in a little below them, but the first number is definitely still a 9 for me.
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 90 points (a CostcoWineBlog Recommended Wine)
Costco item number: 35853
Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA (Cumberland)
Alc. 14%
