Brune Et Blonde
⏳ Drinking Window
2010 - 2025
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted duck, grilled ribeye steak, wild mushroom risotto
✨ Technical Specifications
The Côte-Rôtie 'Brune et Blonde' from E. Guigal is a legendary expression of the Northern Rhône, deeply rooted in local folklore. According to 16th-century legend, the Lord of Maugiron bequeathed his two daughters—one a brunette, the other a blonde—two distinct hillsides. The Côte Brune, characterized by dark, iron-rich schist soils, yields powerful, structured wines, while the Côte Blonde, with its pale, limestone-rich soils, produces softer, highly aromatic wines. Guigal masterfully blends fruit from both slopes to achieve a harmonious balance. The wine undergoes an exceptionally long aging process, spending 36 months in oak barrels in Guigal's historic cellars, resulting in a wine of remarkable complexity, elegance, and seamless integration.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1946 by Étienne Guigal in the historic village of Ampuis, Maison Guigal has grown into an undisputed titan of the Rhône Valley, elevated to global renown under Marcel Guigal and currently guided by third-generation winemaker Philippe Guigal. Anchored at the restored 12th-century Château d'Ampuis, the estate oversees 75 hectares of prime northern Rhône vineyards alongside a benchmark négociant operation. The family's viticulture is practiced via sustainable lutte raisonnée across dramatically steep, hand-worked amphitheaters comprising mica-schist, granite, and loess terraces. In the cellar, Guigal is famous for uncompromising patient élevage, maturing premier cuvées in custom barrels produced at their in-house cooperage for up to 40 months. Their legendary single-vineyard Côte-Rôties—La Mouline, La Landonne, and La Turque—remain global pinnacles of Syrah, mirrored in white viticulture by the opulent Condrieu La Doriane and the monumental Ermitage Ex-Voto Blanc.
🍇 Grapes
Syrah 96%, Viognier 4%
🍷 ABV
13.5-14%