Guigal Côte-Rôtie Château d'Ampuis 2010

99 points Jeb Dunnuck (Wine Advocate): "More closed than when I tasted it earlier this year, the 2010 Cote Rotie Chateau d’Ampuis is an incredible effort that’s made from 93% Syrah and 7% Viognier. Coming from the estate’s top sites and aged 38 months in new oak, it has no problem standing beside the top three single-vineyard releases. Crème de cassis, vanilla bean, smoked meats and licorice all flow to a full-bodied, beautifully concentrated, structured Cote Rotie that needs another 5-6 years of bottle age, but will keep for 2-3 decades. (Dec 2014)"

97 points/ 'Top 100 Wine of 2014 (#77)', Wine Spectator: "[$206 list] Rock-solid, offering dark currant and blackberry paste flavors that race along, thanks to well-embedded graphite and charcoal notes. The finish lets warm fruitcake, plum skin and singed juniper details fill in, with plenty of grip. Mouthwatering acidity and a long echo of sweet tapenade keep this racy and defined. Best from 2015 through 2035. 300 cases imported. (8/6/14)"

94 points Stephen Tanzer (International Wine Cellar): "Opaque purple. Higher-pitched and more red-fruity than the hefty 2009, displaying scents of black raspberry, fresh flowers, Asian spices and smoky minerals. Juicy, sharply focused red and dark berry flavors become deeper and sweeter with air, picking up a suave spicecake quality. Closes silky, incisive and extremely long, with fine-grained tannins adding gentle grip. (Mar/Apr 2014)"