1985 GUIGAL La Mouline 1985

(01-1997) One of the all-time great La Moulines, this still youthful and unevolved wine does not have the tannic ferocity of the 1988, or the sheer force and intensity of the 1978, 1976, and 1969, but it represents the epitome of this single-vineyard wine. Everything fits perfectly in this full-bodied, blackpurple-colored wine that reveals no garnet or amber at the edge of its color. The nose offers up a formidable array of overripe black raspberries and cherries intertwined with scents of cedar, chocolate, olives, and toast. Extremely full-bodied, with an unctuosity and opulence that must be tasted to be believed, this velvety-textured wine's finish lasts for over a minute. It is one of the most concentrated but profoundly endowed and well-balanced wines I have ever tasted. Like so many of the wines Guigal has produced from this vineyard, no matter how hard one tries to articulate its glories, words are simply inadequate. The 1985 is just beginning to achieve full maturity, where it should remain for another 15 + years.

(03-1998) Quite deep. Definitely the youngest looking of the Guigal 1985s. Sweet, full, animal nose. Lovely lift. Great mouthful. Very, very powerful and complete. Great first-growth-like effect all over the palate.

(10-2021) 1985 La La's are getting harder to find, and taste. All I can say is, what a wine! Here you enjoy a full-bodied, rich, opulent, exotically textured, silky fresh wine with notes of smoke, thyme, garden herbs, brown sugar, dried flowers, violets, and sweet, red pit fruits and berries. The sensuous finish is bright, silky, vibrant, long, and frankly, seamless.