2010 E. Guigal, Hermitage, Ex Voto Rouge, Bottle (750ml) [Slightly Scuffed Label]

Wine Advocate | 100 Points

"The 2010 Hermitage Ex Voto continues to top out on my scale. This extraordinary Hermitage has more minerality and delineation than the 2009, as well as overflowing aromas and flavors of creme de cassis, jammy blackberries, violets, graphite and wood smoke. Massively concentrated, full-bodied, decadent, layered and sexy, it needs short-term cellaring but should be just about immortal in the cellar."

Wine Spectator | 98 Points

"This has lavish range, with intense steeped plum, anise, pain d’épices, singed apple wood and fruitcake notes layered together, framed by smoldering charcoal and sweet tobacco accents and riveted to a tarry spine. Expands like a fractal in the glass to display enormous depth and length. Features mouthwatering cut from start to finish despite the heft. An extremely impressive wine that will need some time to stretch out fully."

The Guigal family has built one of the most respected estates in the Rhône, with a reputation for obsessive attention to detail and an ability to consistently deliver at an incredibly high level even in difficult vintages.

Next to their trio of "La La's" at the very top of their range sits Ex Voto, a wine they only produce in vintages where the fruit from their best Hermitage parcels is truly exceptional.

This is a 100% Syrah benchmark, sourced from just a small footprint on the hill, including the prized sites of Bessards and Greffieux.

The 2009 and 2010 stand apart, as they remain the only two vintages to receive 100 points from Robert Parker since Ex Voto debuted in 2001. Compared to 2009, 2010 leans more structured and precise, showing cassis, graphite, and smoke, with the backbone to run for decades!