E. Guigal
Côte-Rôtie La Landonne
Côte-Rôtie
2017
Vintage
Varietal
Syrah
Where it is, October 2026
At Peak: inside the peak window (2026-2047), within the full drinking arc.
Wine Spectator's own vintage-chart guidance for 2017 Northern Rhone still reads Hold, a reminder that La Landonne's 40 months in new oak and whole-harvest fruit tend to resolve slower than most Syrah. Structure and smoke likely still lead over pure fruit at this stage, with more integration probable over the next few years.
The ‘17 Côte-Rôtie La Landonne.
Guigal's La Landonne, 100% Syrah off 50-year vines on Cote-Rotie's iron-rich limestone clay, ages 40 months in new oak before this 2017 opens its own estimated peak window in 2026.
Cellared Ageability Index (CAI) drinking timeline
Storage and bottle condition can shift the experience.
The peak window sits inside the broader full drinking arc.
Tasting note
Guigal's own tasting notes for La Landonne describe a deep, dark-tinted wine with 'small black fruits, liquorice' and roasted, spiced aromas, and in the glass that structure still shows: this is an austere, smoke-toned Syrah rather than a fruit-forward one. The producer calls the palate a 'powerful attack with important tannic structure,' and at this stage that grip is still the dominant sensation, the 40 months of new oak reading as integrated framework rather than a separate flavor. Whole-harvest fermentation, uncrushed fruit fermented with the stems, adds a savory, slightly wild edge underneath the black fruit that a destemmed Syrah typically wouldn't carry. The finish runs long and dark, closing on bitter chocolate rather than bright fruit.
The 2017 vintage
The northern Rhone's 2017 season ran long, warm, and dry, with cool nights holding acidity and well-timed late rains helping finish ripening evenly, none of the serious weather problems that hit the southern Rhone that year. Wine Spectator scored the Northern Rhone vintage 97 points, Classic, describing the reds as 'ripe and seductive.' La Landonne's own vineyard, planted in 1975 on iron-rich limestone clay, was built for exactly this kind of ripe, structured year: fruit intensity to match the 40-month new-oak regime rather than get buried by it.
About E. Guigal
E. Guigal is the dominant quality force in the northern Rhone, known for its La-La single-vineyard Cote-Roties alongside a broad range of appellation wines. La Landonne's own vineyard was planted in 1975, the year of Philippe Guigal's birth, on iron-rich limestone clay, with vines now averaging 50 years old and yields the estate's own site puts around 35 hectoliters per hectare. Fruit ferments whole-harvest rather than destemmed and ages 40 months in entirely new oak, a longer, more deliberate regime than Guigal applies to its other Cote-Rotie bottlings.
From the cellar: pair with
Wood-grilled ribeye with black peppercorn crust
The wine's full body and structured tannin need real fat and char, and the smoked, roasted character in the glass echoes rather than fights the char.
Braised venison shank
Long-braised game's collagen matches the wine's still-building tannin and long, dark finish without a leaner cut getting overwhelmed.
Aged Comte or Beaufort
A firm, nutty aged cheese holds its own against the wine's structured tannin and concentrated black fruit rather than getting flattened by it.
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Frequently Asked
How long should I decant a young La Landonne like this?
At least 2 to 3 hours. Wine Spectator's Hold call on this vintage reflects tannin and 40 months of new oak that haven't fully resolved; pouring it straight from the bottle will show more smoke and structure than fruit.
Why is Wine Spectator's Hold call not in conflict with a Classic vintage score?
A high vintage score describes the raw material's quality, not how quickly a wine built on it will be ready. La Landonne's own production, whole-harvest fruit and nearly three and a half years in new oak, adds years to the timeline regardless of the vintage's strength.
What makes La Landonne different from a destemmed Syrah?
Guigal ferments the fruit whole-harvest, uncrushed and with the stems still on, according to the estate's own site. That typically adds savory, structural tannin alongside the fruit rather than the softer, more immediate style destemmed fermentation tends to produce.
Is there a published critic score for this 2017 bottling?
Not one Cellared could independently verify through a fetched, allowlisted source. Reviews of the wine exist, but a specific numeric score for this exact 2017 wasn't confirmed here, so none is stated.