The 2016 Guigal Cote Rotie la Turque is a Syrah from the Northern Rhone region of France, specifically the Cote Rotie appellation. This red wine, produced by Guigal, presents a concentrated and elegant profile with an alcohol content of 13.5%. Renowned for its meticulous production, it spends four years in new French oak barrels and is bottled without fining or filtration.
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate awarded it a high score of 98, praising its "exotic perfumes of spring flowers and ripe berries," and noted its "exquisitely silky and elegant" texture. Joe Czerwinski highlighted the wine’s "lingering notes of salted licorice and mocha" and mentioned its potential to drink well for at least two decades.
Jeb Dunnuck also rated it highly at 96 points. He described it as "medium to full-bodied" with "complex notes of black raspberry, cassis, roast coffee, camphor, and flowers." Dunnuck emphasized the wine’s "silky tannins" and "great finish," calling it a "beautiful, classic example of this cuvée" that should be enjoyed over the next 20-25 years.
Decanter matched Parker’s score with another 98, noting the wine’s "smoothness of the tannins" and "silkiness on the palate." The review highlighted its "extremely elegant expression of Côte-Rôtie" with a "harmonious, shapely, tapered finish."
Vinous offered a 97-point review, describing the wine as "inky magenta" with a "powerfully scented nose" of "candied cherry, blackcurrant, exotic spices, violet oil, and a hint of olive." Josh Raynolds praised its "velvety, seamless and alluringly sweet" profile with "sharp delineation" and an "exceedingly long finish."
Wine Spectator provided a score of 96, characterizing the wine as "dark and winey" with "waves of cassis, steeped plum, and warmed cherry preserves." The review noted its "long finish" with a "savory edge and a well-buried iron note," recommending it for cellaring until 2040.
Lastly, Jeff Leve from TheWineCellarInsider.com also rated it 98, remarking on its "fabulous depth of flavor" and "seamless layers of black and red fruits, smoke, licorice, olives, and spice." Leve predicted its peak potential between 2025-2055.
Overall, the 2016 Guigal Cote Rotie la Turque is highly praised for its balanced elegance, complex flavors, and long aging potential, making it a standout Syrah in the Cote Rotie region.