Côte Rôtie La Mouline, Etienne Guigal 2001

This is a somewhat forgotten vintage, but Guigal's flagship wine is a fabulous treat. Dense purple-colored, it displayed some new oak on the nose, but that blew away after about thirty minutes in a decanter. It was full-bodied, rich, and just superb.

A textbook example of the cuvee that possesses a classy, focused, and tight profile, the 2001 Cote Rotie La Mouline gives up plenty of vibrant berry fruits, pepper, herbed crusted game and bacon fat to go with a medium to full-bodied, juicy, fresh and pure profile on the palate. The amount of acid here gives me a slight pause, yet it has solid mid-palate depth, beautiful polished its tannin, and no shortage of length on the finish. Give it 2 to 3 years and drink it over the following decade or more.

A stunning nose of fig and black currant confiture draws you into a dense but velvety palate of blackberry, mocha, vanilla, mineral and tar flavours that course through a finish with fully embedded acidity and very refined tannins. Awesome length here. Hard to resist now, but better to cellar. Drink now through 2030.

More tannic and concentrated than the 2000, the 2001 La Mouline reveals notes of smoky bacon fat intertwined with acacia flowers, blackberries, raspberries, and a hint of espresso. Full-bodied, deep, rich, and extraordinarily perfumed, but with a backward, firm, tannic finish, it should be at its peak between 2010-2023.