La Turque (Côte-Rôtie Lieu-Dit)

La Turque occupies a steep south-southeast facing slope on the Côte Brune sector, in the northern half of the Côte-Rôtie appellation above the village of Ampuis. The lieu-dit sits at moderate elevation (approximately 220 to 280 metres), with terraces climbing the iron-rich micaschist hillside on aspect that captures maximum afternoon sun. The slope grade reaches 50 to 60 degrees on the steepest sections, requiring traditional stone-walled terraces (called murets locally) and hand or horse cultivation throughout. The parcel is bounded by other Côte Brune lieu-dits including La Landonne to the north and Pommière. The Guigal stone wall along the eastern edge of the parcel marks the holding visible from the riverside road, and La Turque sits in clear sight of La Landonne and the broader Côte Brune sector.

• Northern half of the Côte-Rôtie appellation on Côte Brune, above the village of Ampuis
• South-southeast aspect with terraces climbing from approximately 220 to 280 metres elevation
• Slope gradients of 50 to 60 degrees on the steepest sections, requiring traditional stone-walled terraces (murets)
• Bounded by other Côte Brune lieu-dits including La Landonne to the north and Pommière nearby

La Turque sits on iron-rich micaschist bedrock from the Variscan (Hercynian) orogeny approximately 300 to 350 million years ago, the same age class as the granite Grand Crus of Alsace and the broader Côte Brune sector. The micaschist here is iron-bearing, with significant magnetite and hematite content giving the surface its dark rust-brown color. Surface soils are clay-loam with high iron oxide content, layered over fissured schist bedrock that fractures along its foliated planes and allows vine roots to penetrate deeply. The clay component retains water and nutrients better than pure granite would, contributing to a sustained ripening trajectory and avoiding heat stress on the steep south-facing slope. The mineralogy contributes the iron-and-graphite signature characteristic of Côte Brune wines, with La Turque sitting squarely in the sector's geological identity. The slight 7 percent Viognier interplanting and the somewhat lighter clay profile compared with the heaviest Côte Brune sites contribute to the cuvée's relatively more aromatic register among the La-La trio.

• Iron-rich micaschist bedrock from the Variscan (Hercynian) orogeny, approximately 300 to 350 million years old
• Surface soils: clay-loam with high iron oxide content; characteristic dark rust-brown color when surface is freshly exposed
• Drainage efficient through foliated schist fissures; clay-loam topsoils retain water and nutrients
• Mineralogy contributes iron-and-graphite mineral signature characteristic of Côte Brune

La Turque is the structural and stylistic bridge between La Landonne (Côte Brune, 100 percent Syrah, austere structural mass) and La Mouline (Côte Blonde, 11 percent Viognier, perfumed silken lift). The combination of iron-rich micaschist soils, 7 percent Viognier co-fermentation, and 36 to 42 months in 100 percent new French oak produces a wine of substantial structural backbone with finer-grained tannin and a touch of aromatic perfume from the Viognier component. Aromatically the cuvée shows blackberry, blueberry, violet, cracked black pepper, smoked meat, iron, graphite, and (from the Viognier) a hint of peach, apricot, and floral lift layered over the Côte Brune core. The 100 percent new French oak elevage adds vanilla, baking spice, and a creamy register that integrates with both the structural fruit and the aromatic perfume. Aging trajectory at the highest level runs two to four decades, with mature bottles developing tertiary leather, garrigue, tobacco, and forest-floor aromatics. La Turque is regularly cited as the most balanced of the three La-La cuvées, combining the structural mass of Côte Brune with the aromatic complexity that the Viognier co-ferment contributes.

• Structural and stylistic bridge between La Landonne (100% Syrah, austere) and La Mouline (11% Viognier, perfumed)
• 7 percent Viognier co-ferment contributes hint of peach, apricot, and floral lift over Côte Brune Syrah core
• Aged 36 to 42 months in 100 percent new French oak; approximately 6,000 to 9,000 bottles per year
• Most balanced of the three La-La cuvées: structural mass with finer-grained tannin and aromatic complexity

E. Guigal is the exclusive producer working La Turque. The Guigal family acquired the parcel in the early 1980s, and Marcel Guigal vinified the first single-vineyard La Turque cuvée from the 1985 vintage, completing the trio of La-La cuvées after La Mouline (1966 from Côte Blonde) and La Landonne (1978 from Côte Brune). The cuvée was designed deliberately to occupy the stylistic middle ground between the other two: La Landonne's structural austerity (Côte Brune, 100 percent Syrah, no Viognier softening) and La Mouline's perfumed silken lift (Côte Blonde, 11 percent Viognier, aromatic register). La Turque sits on Côte Brune like La Landonne but includes 7 percent Viognier co-ferment like La Mouline, producing the bridge expression. The cuvée has earned multiple perfect critical scores across the 1985-to-present span, with the 1985 inaugural vintage, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1999, and 2003 among the most celebrated. Annual production has remained tightly controlled at approximately 6,000 to 9,000 bottles, similar to La Mouline and smaller than La Landonne. Philippe Guigal (Marcel's son) now oversees the cuvée's production alongside his father, maintaining continuity with the founding traditions of the bottling. The complete Guigal La-La trio (La Mouline, La Landonne, La Turque) provides the textbook tasting flight for understanding the Côte-Rôtie stylistic spectrum from a single producer's lens.