2008 Condrieu

The Guigals were so unimpressed by the quality of the fruit they were offered from the southern Rhone in 2008 that they decided not to make any red wines from this region, Philippe Guigal told me. "The fruit was simply too fragile," said Guigal, "and we weren't confident that it would stand up to our type of elevage, which we like to extend." This means that there will be no 2008 red Cotes du Rhone for the first time since 1992. Guigal is impressed by the "flexibility" of 2007. "The fruit is up front, there's enough acidity to give the wines the balance for aging, yet the tannins are soft enough that they can be drunk young." Guigal told me that he is liking 2006 more and more "because the wines are very spicy and floral, and have real integrity, balance and precision. They aren't powerful like the '05s, but they'll live a long time on their balance. People forget that elegant wines can often outlive the big guys." The just-bottled 2006 Cote-Rotie Brune et Blonde wasn't in a state for tasting when I visited Guigal at the beginning of November so I will report on this wine next year.