Full medium ruby. Superripe aromas of blackberry, black cherry, graphite, violet and gunflint. Boasts an incredible core of sappy black cherry fruit, with a noble volatility giving the wine great lift despite its sheer weight. This too boasts great density and today the finish is even more explosive than that of the Mouline, with torrefaction notes of chocolate and mocha.

Inky purple. Vibrant, floral, remarkably deep cherry and spiced plum aromas. Lush and sweet, with an oily texture and an impressively deep kirsch quality complicated by an exotic violet pastille tone. Finishes sweet and very long, with very good lift and a lingering cherry note.

The 2003 Côte-Rôtie La Turque from E. Guigal is a wine that I remember buying on release and then sold when I didn’t really appreciate the style of the vintage. It has a decadent bouquet with blue fruit, orange zest, marmalade and a fair bit of alcohol. The palate is sweet and exotic on the entry, dense and powerful, though I cannot help but wishing there is more acidity and tension on the finish. For someone else’s palate.

A pure aromatic smorgasbord is offered by the 2003 Cote Rotie La Turque, which has an amazing aromatic profile of espresso coffee interwoven with scorched earth, tar, truffle, incense, blackberry, bacon fat, and flowers. Powerful, thick flavors ooze across the palate with a viscous texture, amazing purity, and just enough acidity and tannin to give uplift and precision to this remarkable tour de force in winemaking. Of the 2003s, this is also approachable, but ideally 2-5 years of cellaring would be suggested, and the wine will evolve for at least 30 more years.

I’ve always loved the 2003s from the Guigal family and the 2003 Cote Rotie la Turque has yet to ever disappoint. An incredible perfume of smoked herbs, charred meats, violets, licorice and blackcurrants gives way to a huge, unctuous, powerful Cote Rotie that has masses of ripe, sweet tannin, full-bodied richness and a finish that just won’t quit. Enjoy this heavenly elixir over the coming 2-3 decades.