2013 Hermitage Rouge Guigal

There's the trademark Guigal toasty oak overlay adding praline and toffee notes to brambly dark berries and plum fruit aromas. The palate delivers vibrant, spicy and creamy red plum fruits. Approachable, sweet tannins. Drink now.

The two Hermitage releases are also terrific. The 2013 Hermitage offers full-bodied richness and depth as well as textbook dark fruits, caramelized meat, and bacon fat aromatics. It has a great mid-palate, ripe tannin, and a big finish, and is well worth checking out.

The fresh, masculine-styled 2013 Hermitage is going need to 5-6 years of bottle age to be drinkable. Deep black fruits, dark chocolate, espresso and peppered meat notes all give way to a rich, concentrated wine that has high acidity and ripe tannin.

Deep ruby. Mineral- tinged aromas of blackberry, cherry compote, licorice and candied violet pick up a suggestion of olive paste with air. At once rich and energetic, offering sappy dark berry and cracked pepper flavors and hints of floral pastilles and five-spice powder. Shows very good energy and supple texture and finishes smooth, spicy and very long, leaving behind a smoky mineral note.