Côte Rôtie La Mouline, Etienne Guigal 2015

The 2015 Côte Rôtie La Mouline has closed down substantially since I tasted it from barrel, yet it’s nevertheless a magical wine in the making. Sporting a deep, saturated purple color as well as a monster bouquet of crème de cassis, graphite, crushed rocks, and hints of flowers, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, building tannins, and a focused, tight, backward vibe that’s going to need 4-5 years of bottle age. It’s going to be incredibly long-lived.

A very complex and complete nose with everything so integrated and beautifully judged. There are ripe blackberries, blood plums, fragrant spices, dark stones and roasted coffee, to name just some of what is already on offer here. The palate has such richness and such build and layering with ripe dark plums and blackberries, clothed in robes of spice-laden, velvety tannins in a majestic mode. Pure class and a great vintage for sure. One of the best ever. Best from 2025.

The 2015 Cote Rotie La Mouline contains the most Viognier of any of Guigal's La Las: 11%. That tends to make it more open and approachable when young, but the 2015 seemed closed at the time of my visit. Cedar and vanilla frame mixed berries in a full-bodied, plush wine that somehow never seems heavy. It shows great elegance and length, and I'm confident the complexity it showed at earlier tastings will reemerge with a few years in the bottle. 2022 - 2040

On another level, and unquestionably the best of the three vintages, the 2015 Côte Rôtie La Mouline sports an inky purple color as well as an off-the-charts bouquet of black currants, smoked herbs, spring flowers, gamey meats, and acacia flowers. Massively concentrated, opulent, and as sexy as wine gets, it reminds me of the 1978 La Mouline and has perfection written all over it. If you can afford it, this is a magical, legendary wine in the making that will keep for 4-5 decades.