2016 E. Guigal Saint-Joseph Rouge 750 ml

Bucket List Trip: The Wine We Brought Back

It was 4 am and I couldn’t sleep. We’d been in France for a week, so I knew it wasn’t just jet lag keeping me awake in my hotel room in Lyon: It was excitement about the next day’s visit to legendary Northern Rhône producer E. Guigal. I’d put my level of excitement at, oh, I dunno: somewhere between seeing Led Zeppelin in concert, and doing a duet with Robert Plant (I used to sing opera).

It was February, and it had been wet and bone-chillingly cold in the Northern Rhône for days, but we weren’t going to let a little freezing rain to keep us from our day with Guigal. So when the morning sky finally got light, my colleague Robert and Joe, our CEO, knocked on my door, and we laced up our hiking boots in anticipation of the steep and possibly slushy vineyards. After downing a quick coffee, we walked out to our car.

What followed was a hands-on, feet-in-the-mud master class: As the weather cleared up, our guide from Guigal showed all the winery’s prime sites, from the estate’s home base in the north of the region, down to the steep slopes of Hermitage and Saint-Joseph. Every chance we got, we hopped out of the car and back into the cold, to hike among the ancient vines. It’s safe to say I loved every last minute out there. 

In the early afternoon, we kicked as much rust-colored earth off of our boots as we could, piled back into the car, and headed to Guigal’s headquarters in Ampuis, to taste in their cavernous cellar. Normally, we stick to professional protocol and spit every drop, no matter how sublime the wine—especially when it’s the first visit of the day. But we were wise enough to dedicate the entire day to Guigal, and just as I was swirling the 2016 Saint-Joseph, Robert swallowed his Syrah and said exactly what I was thinking: “There’s absolutely no way I’m spitting this out.”

“You read my mind,” I said as I inhaled the wine’s rich, exotic, and spicy aromatics. Joe’s a finance guy—not quite the kind of wine trail veteran that Robert and I are—and he grinned before gulping his wine down. Robert and I exchanged sidelong glances, but who are we to judge, he wasn’t driving, and the wine was delicious. I’m thrilled to share a special allocation of Guigal’s 2016 Saint-Joseph, the wine we couldn’t resist drinking with gusto.

Guigal purchased their first land in the region from Domaine J.L. Grippat, known as the “Rolls Royce of Saint-Joseph”—it came in an all-or-nothing deal that included vineyards in Hermitage as well. At first, the Guigals were going to say no: While they coveted the Hermitage site, they were far from sold on Saint-Joseph. But when Marcel and Philippe Guigal made the 45-minute drive down RN7 to tell M. Grippat their decision, he didn’t give them a chance to sit down. Instead, he drove them straight to the Saint-Joseph site. The Guigals were stunned. They had never seen any of the top sites in Saint-Joseph, and were taken aback by the quality. The deal was signed on the spot.

Guigal’s 2016 Saint-Joseph is an undersung jewel from true heart of the appellation. Grown on 20-50 year-old vines planted on steep vineyards heavy in decomposing granite, it packs an impressive amount of Northern Rhône character and power, for about half the price of one of Guigal’s Hermitage wines. Full of blackberry, black cherry, leather, smoked meats, and crushed peppercorn, the 2016 Saint-Joseph that led us across the Rubicon in the Guigal cellar was one of the most impressive wines we tasted during our leisurely day at the winery. It’s irresistible now (as I hope the above story illustrates), but Guigal’s wines are built to last, and I look forward to watching this wine evolve over the next decade. 

When we left hours later, we were still in awe of Guigal’s wines. Sip after sip, they only got more expressive and intriguing. No wonder Robert Parker called the Guigal partiarch (the father of today’s winemaker) the “world’s greatest winemaker.” 

Amped up from such an inspiring day, we rocked out to Led Zeppelin for the whole ride back. Two of us were so energized by the checking Guigal off our bucket list—and one of us by the “nap” he took in the backseat, not naming names—that we managed to rally for an early dinner of lamb stew and one last glass of Guigal. 

I was in bed by 8. And after the dream trip to one of my favorite estates in the record books, sleeping was past four wasn’t a problem. 

I hope you’ll join me and the entire Wine Access team in enjoying this legendary vintage from Guigal. If it sells out, don’t worry—I’ll gladly hike back for more.

Sincerely,

Vanessa Conlin
Head of Wine