Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde 2017 1.5L

94 points Wine & Spirits: "This is a terrific vintage of Brune et Blonde, a blend of both estate and purchased fruit from the Côte Brune’s schist soils and the Blonde’s granite. The concentration gained in the warm, dry summer of 2017 is reflected in the wine’s color, as dark purple as a Kalamata olive; the flavors are clenched in a fist of tannins and oak smoke. But give the wine a day to open and it turns cigar-smoky, with a cool blueberry-skin feel to the fruit, silky and refined—and it remains that way for days on end. (Oct 2020)"

92 points Wine Spectator: "[$90/750ml list] Lively, with a mix of damson plum and bitter cherry notes lined with sanguine and iron hints. An understated style, but this has range and is sneaky long, with dried savory and bay leaf details on the finish. Best from 2021 through 2032. 400 cases imported. (2/28/21)"

92 points La Revue du Vin de France: "Pretty material for the cote-rotie, a success given the volumes produced. (2021)"

92 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "The 2017 Côte-Rôtie “Brune et Blonde” bottling from the Guigal family includes four percent viognier in the cépages this year and was raised in fifty percent new oak casks for three years prior to bottling. It is a lovely example of the vintage, offering up a pure, complex and nicely perfumed bouquet of raspberries, smoked meats, pepper, a touch of lavender, a fine base of soil and a judicious framing of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and peppery, with a good core of fruit, tangy acids, ripe, buried tannins and fine grip on the long, complex and well-balanced finish. This is a very nicely transparent example, with well-managed ripeness and very good purity. It needs bottle age to properly blossom, but it is going to be a very good bottle of Côte-Rôtie in due course. 2027-2065. (Sep/Oct 2020)"

92 points Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2017 Côte Rôtie Brune Et Blonde is terrific and certainly an outstanding wine. Offering plenty of red and black fruits as well as notes of licorice, flowers, and spice, it has supple, seamless tannins, medium to full-bodied richness, and a great finish. (2/16/22) "

91 points Joe Czerwinski (Wine Advocate): "As a standard-bearer for the appellation—it is the region's largest-production wine by a good margin—Guigal's 2017 Cote Rotie Brune et Blonde is a solid success. Scents of red raspberries and green olives mingle with hints of violets and cracked pepper on the nose, while the medium-bodied palate is smooth, silky and suave. The finish boasts enough dusty tannin to support medium-term aging, while the complex fruit and savory notes linger elegantly. Drink: 2021-2030. (May 2021)"