By far and away the largest producer of red wine in the Rhone Valley, Etienne Guigal has garnered something of a reputation for itself. Legions of fans (demi-God Robert Parker is quoted as saying "In the past 26 years I have spent visiting wineries and vignerons, I have never seen a producer so fanatical about quality as Marcel Guigal") rave about the domaine’s consistent levels of extraordinary wine. Which in short, means Etienne Guigal is the benchmark for all Rhone Valley reds.

A testament to hard work, dedication and viticultural knowledge, Etienne Guigal’s story is all the more interesting in that the domaine is less than 75 years old. He arrived in the Cotes du Rhone area looking for work at just 14 years of age and was taken on by Vidal Fleury in 1927. Twenty years and a world war later and Etienne founded his eponymous brand, in the small village of Ampuis. Etienne’s reputation as a perfectionist preceded him; his own-label wines were an almost overnight success and he personally oversaw the production of 65 superlative vintages. His son Marcel joined the business in 1961.

With Marcel at the helm, things took a different turn. Establishment Guigal was already (well) known for its powerful and structured Cote Rotie, but Marcel had his sights set on something higher. He set about developing the family business and in 1984 acquired the firm that gave his father his start, Vidal Fleury, followed by the now famous Château d’Ampuis in 1995 and Domaine de Bonserine in 2003. Etienne Guigal passed away in 1988 at the age of 79.

Wine lovers take note. Etienne Guigal is the standard for all Cote Rotie wines so unsurprisingly, prices are stratospheric. Marcel’s careful development of the business has seen quality getting better and better, culminating in the beautiful Château d’Ampuis (production is just 2,000 cases a year). The La-La’s (Guigal La Mouline, Guigal La Turque, Guigal La Landonne) as they are affectionately known are a trinity of profound wines that offer superb ageing. While there is no such thing as a sure thing, we suspect investors can only expect prices to go up.