E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône Rouge 2022

Most Côtes du Rhône leans on Grenache. Guigal goes Syrah-dominant, using the same philosophy they apply to their legendary La Mouline and La Turque — just at a fraction of the cost. Dark cherries, lilac, cocoa dust, cedar, and clove. The tannins are velvety. The finish lingers. What makes this bottle unfair is the aging. Guigal holds this wine for a minimum of two years before release — in a combination of stainless and large foudres. Nobody else at $20 does that. Nobody. You are getting a wine that has been given time to become itself before it ever reaches the shelf. I keep a case of this by the back door. It is what I grab when someone says 'open something good' and I do not want to think about it. It is always good. It has never let me down. That is the highest compliment I can give a bottle at this price.