Guigal Côte Rôtie ' La Mouline' 1976

After a few miserable wet days..it was warm enough to sit outside...
I invited 2 friends..only one could come at such short notice...
My wife was going to prepare 4 dishes.
(click on the photos to enlarge..and get the taste buds going)
With the white wine...




1. Goat's Cheese wrapped in
bacon in a mango-date-mint
bed with salad dressed
with cedar corn mousse
and mint leaves.







2. Prawns in coriander seeds
in Tempura dough
(refers to classic Japanese
deep fried batter)
and fried fennel.









With the great red...
3. Tuna Fish on a bed of
fresh spinach with a
vanilla and lime sauce
(this was a truly perfect
match with the 'Mouline').











4. Beef filet covered with cream
mushroooms and dried
tomatoes with shallot onions and
polenta.

And the wines.....................

Hermitage Blanc 'Les Recoules'
Sorrel 1990
Rhone, France
Yellow gold colour; flowery nose...is that a touch of cork..? or just a fading nose...I asked my wife..cork she said..which..was disapointing..but pleased me as I have another bottle in the cellar...and..although the nose did not improve..the flavour was not impaired and improved in the glass..quite full, touch of 'sherry'..which also disapeared..a real 'working wine'...honey tones, almonds...this grew on me.
Points 16...but methinks the other, hopefully, 'not corked' bottle will be worth more.




And the star of the evening....

Guigal Côte Rôtie ' La Mouline' 1976
Rhone, France


The wine had been stood up for 24 hours as it had some sediment. Was decanted 2 hours before tasting..cork removed at the second attempt.






Superb colour..dark..and an incredible mature Armagnac tint rim..I could have looked at it all evening( I must find other things to do); nose exhuded richness, port-like..but of course not sweet, mocca, coffee..even bacon. As to the flavour..you just can't buy it.. super smooth, rich, lush, intense wine with layers of concentrated, soft, velvety fruit, spicy and after all this...still elegant..finesse.

Points 19.5 (about 98 in USA points)...maybe even 20....but a marvellous wine.

I had purchased 6 bottles in May 1982..they had cost about Euros 24 which is around $ 30. I opened one 2 months later(ah..infancy)..and 3 more..marking it from 17 to 18..up to 1988..then decided to leave it alone..The fifth bottle I drank about 7 years ago with the same friend as with today's bottle...we gave it 19 points I think...and he never failed to mention the memory whenever we met.

One of the Top 100 Great Wines!!!!