Côte Rôtie La Mouline 1992 75cl

All the single vineyard wines have turned out to be exceptional in 1992, far better than I expected when I tasted them prior to their astonishing 40 month sojourn in 100% new oak casks. These wines are bottled with no fining or filtration, and as Guigal says, "have the lowest SO2 levels measurable in France" - a testament, he believes, to his vinification, elevage in new oak, and, most importantly, the nature of Syrah. Typically, the 1992 Cote Rotie La Mouline is the most up-front and flamboyant of this trio. The color is a deep dark ruby/purple, and the nose offers a super-rich fragrance of black olives, cassis, and toast. Rich, savory, and velvety-textured, with copious quantities of sweet, creamy fruit, this medium to full-bodied, luscious La Mouline should drink well for 10-12 years. Readers should remember that this is the only one of three single-vineyard bottlings that includes a percentage of Viognier (about 10%) in the blend. One of the other admirable characteristics of a tasting at Guigal is that unlike most wine cellars in Burgundy, Guigal's wines actually taste better after bottling than they do in the cellars. I do not know the reason for this, but Guigal says it is because, "the understanding of how much time a wine needs in either small barrel, tank, or foudre is essential to producing fine wine, and that each vintage and each wine is bottled when I believe it is ready." I should add that his tendency to do a natural bottling for all his reds, in addition to sulphur adjustments that are among the lowest in France, also add to the quality of the bottled wines. I say this because the 1992s are all in bottle, and this vintage has turned out far stronger in bottle than when I first reported on the wines several years ago. It is not a particularly good vintage in the northern Rhone, but Guigal's best wines are the stars of the vintage (along with the luxury cuvees of Chapoutier). <br/>Guigal still has a couple of difficult vintages to bottle, but his 1992s have turned out surprisingly strong. In addition, the 1993s are satisfying for the vintage. Following 1993 are two great vintages for Guigal - 1994 and 1995.<br/>

Thick and rich, this offers ripe plum and coffee flavors, almost sweet, with cinnamon and spice accents, velvety at first then powerful with tannin. It has real concentration and good balance, but needs another year or two in the bottle to come together.