70% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, 5% Carignan

Food pairings: Roast pork with a hazelnut crust, grilled eggplant, roasted or braised beef, veal and lamb, game, duck, herb-roasted poultry and cassoulet.

Winemaking: The grapes are vinified the traditional way, with temperature-controlled fermentations and a maceration of nearly three weeks. The wine then ages for three years in large oak foudres, followed by further aging in bottle before release. 2022 was a year of intense heat and drought in the Southern Rhône; a wet winter had replenished the water tables, mid-August storms with hail reduced yields, and the harvest came exceptionally early, giving concentrated, powerful wines.

Vineyards and terroir: The wine comes from old vines, about 50 years old on average, rooted in the classic Châteauneuf-du-Pape terroir of rounded 'galet' stones over red clay. Swept by the Mistral and baked by the Provençal sun, these stony vineyards give wines with the unmistakable flavors of the South.

Family and history: Étienne Guigal arrived in Ampuis, in the heart of Côte-Rôtie, in 1924 at the age of 14 and founded Maison Guigal there in 1946. His son Marcel took over in 1961, and from 1973 he and his wife Bernadette built the family business into one of the great names of the Rhône Valley. The family bought the historic Château d'Ampuis in 1995, the Jean-Louis Grippat and de Vallouit estates in 2001, and opened its own cooperage in 2003. Marcel's son Philippe officially joined as winemaker in 1997, later joined by his wife Eve, and in 2017 the family bought Château de Nalys in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This wine belongs to Guigal's 'Collection' of classic Rhône appellation wines.

In the pictures: Vines growing out of the famous round 'galet' stones of Châteauneuf-du-Pape (photo: Megan Mallen, 2010, CC BY 2.0). The family tasting cellar at Maison Guigal in Ampuis, ringed by large oak casks (photo: courtesy of E. Guigal). The Guigal family beside a carved oak cask (photo: courtesy of E. Guigal).