E. Guigal Saint Joseph Blanc “Lieu Dit”

Description

E. Guigal Saint Joseph Blanc “Lieu Dit” is a white wine made from grapes sourced from the Saint Joseph Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) in the northern Rhône wine region of France. “Lieu Dit”, which literally translates as “place said”. The means that the grapes are grown in a specific site or part of a vineyard. In this case the grapes are sourced from the former Ancien Domaine Jean-Louis Grippat estate which Guigal own. These are some of the Saint Joseph registered vines that originally lent their name to the appellation.

The Guigal domain was founded in 1946 by Etienne Guigal in the village of Ampuis. His son, Marcel, took over from his father in 1961. Under Marcel’s guidance, Guigal wines gained recognition for their exceptional quality and consistency. The winery’s philosophy emphasized meticulous vineyard management, low yields, and a hands-on approach to winemaking, including extended aging in oak barrels. Today, the Guigal winery remains a family affair, with Marcel’s son, Philippe Guigal, serving as the third generation to lead the estate.

The Guigal family own illustrious plots of vines in many famous appellations. The wines are made and aged at 12th century Chateau d’Ampuis located in the northern Rhone. In the summer of 2003, in an effort to improve quality and control over all aspects of wine making, Guigal opened an onsite cooperage. The cooperage at the Château d’Ampuis works in partnership with the cooperage at Chagny managed by Seguin Moreau.

As mentioned above the grapes for the E. Guigal Saint Joseph Blanc “Lieu Dit” are sourced from old vines at Ancien Domaine Jean-Louis Grippat which are characterised by their steep sloped vineyards and soils composed of Gneiss rock with granite streaks. The vines have an aged of between 25 and 75 years old and the blend of grapes is 95% Marsanne and 5% Roussanne. The wine is aged 50% in new French oak barrels and 50% in one year old barrels. Around 10,000 bottles per vintage.

The different and bold label featuring St Joseph was designed by Roger Pfund, a Franco-Swiss artist who is a specialist in the design of bank notes.