Stephane Ogier Viognier de Rosine 2018
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James
Suckling -
Wine &
Spirits
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James Suckling
This has a super fresh and elegantly juicy feel with fresh pear, apple and white-melon aromas and flavors, as well as some fresh-bread and stony nuances at the finish. Drink now.
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Wine & Spirits
Stéphane Ogier planted the vines for this wine in 2000, choosing a west-facing slope on the southern border of Côte-Rôtie. They grew a lovely viognier in 2018, broad and silky, with plump peach and tangerine fruit lifted by brisk acidity and light florals.
Other Vintages
2019-
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
The Ogier family has been rooted in Ampuis for seven generations. From the age of six, current owner and winemaker Stéphane knew he wanted to follow in his winemaker father’s footsteps. In 1997, after completing his oenological studies in Beaune, Stéphane formally joined the family estate. The domaine produces wines from 27 acres of vineyards in some of the most famous Côte-Rôtie areas, such as Lancement, Côte-Rozier, and La Viallière. Aside from his Côte-Rôtie wines, Stéphane also produces a Côtes du Rhône (Le Temps est Venu) and several Syrah wines (L’Ame Soeur, La Rosine). In 20 years, total production has grown from 15,000 to 300,000 bottles. Today, the wines have become a reference point for the appellation and are sought after by the greatest chefs and most serious wine lovers around the world.
Full-figured and charmingly floral, Viognier is one of the most important white grapes of the northern Rhône where it is used both to produce single varietal wines and as an important blending grape. Look for great New World examples from California, Oregon, Washington and cooler parts of Australia. Somm Secret—Viognier plays a surprisingly important role in the red wines of Côte Rôtie in the northern Rhône. About 5% Viognier is typically co-fermented with the Syrah in order to stabilize the color, and as an added benefit, add a subtle perfume.
A long and narrow valley producing flavorful red, white, and rosé wines, the Rhône is bisected by the river of the same name and split into two distinct sub-regions—north and south. While a handful of grape varieties span the entire length of the Rhône valley, there are significant differences between the two zones in climate and geography as well as the style and quantity of Rhône wines produced. The Northern Rhône, with its continental climate and steep hillside vineyards, is responsible for a mere 5% or less of the greater region’s total output. The Southern Rhône has a much more Mediterranean climate, the aggressive, chilly Mistral wind and plentiful fragrant wild herbs known collectively as ‘garrigue.’
In the Northern Rhône, the only permitted red variety is Syrah, which in the appellations of St.-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, Cornas and Côte-Rôtie, it produces velvety black-fruit driven, savory, peppery red wines often with telltale notes of olive, game and smoke. Full-bodied, perfumed whites are made from Viognier in Condrieu and Château-Grillet, while elsewhere only Marsanne and Roussanne are used, with the former providing body and texture and the latter lending nervy acidity. The wines of the Southern Rhône are typically blends, with the reds often based on Grenache and balanced by Syrah, Mourvèdre, and an assortment of other varieties. All three northern white varieties are used here, as well as Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourbelenc and more. The best known sub-regions of the Southern Rhône are the reliable, wallet-friendly Côtes du Rhône and the esteemed Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Others include Gigondas, Vacqueyras and the rosé-only appellation Tavel.