When you dig into the story of today’s wine, you can’t help but feel the surge of paranoia that comes with a momentous discovery. Is this really happening? Does anyone else know about it? Let me assure you that you’re not crazy: This really is a Northern Rhône Syrah from an acknowledged master of the variety, one that performs like a Côte-Rôtie costing twice as much.
It’s a perfect example of the kind of “insider” wine sommeliers swoon over: its vineyard source is in the village of Tupin-et-Semons, which is ever-so-marginally outside the Côte-Rôtie appellation boundary, meaning the wine carries a “Collines Rhodaniennes” IGP designation and a much lower price tag. “La Rosine” comes from a steep-pitched, granite-rich parcel not two miles from the famed Côte Blonde in Côte-Rôtie, and I can’t imagine any blind taster pegging this as anything but Northern Rhône Syrah at its meaty, peppery, dark-fruited best. It’s no wonder regional powerhouses Guigal and Chapoutier lamented the day, in 1982, when Michel Ogier decided to no longer sell his coveted fruit to them and began bottling his own wine. Michel’s son, Stéphane, has ably taken the torch and elevated the Ogier domaine into the ranks of the Côte-Rôtie elite, with “La Rosine” his secret weapon in a growing, vineyard-specific arsenal. I’ll say it again for the folks in the back: This is a full-fledged Côte-Rôtie in everything but name and price. Rhône fans, rejoice—then pounce!
Stéphane Ogier was born and raised on the treacherously steep terraces of Côte-Rôtie. As a teenager, he yearned to take the reins from his father, Michel. The elder Ogier is a seventh-generation farmer whose decision to evolve from grower to vintner in the early ’80s paved the way for Stéphane’s unqualified success. Having studied extensively in Beaune, Stéphane returned home in 1997 with a deep appreciation for the Burgundian sensibility for site-specific wines and sought to apply it to his family property. Their first effort together was to create a single-site cuvée from their old-vine parcel on the Côte Brune, the famed subzone rich in schist and iron, known for producing the world’s most age-worthy, monolithic Syrah. They called it “La Belle Hélène,” for Stéphane’s mother, and in its third vintage (1999) Robert Parker awarded it a 100 point score. Team Ogier’s work was now regarded on the same level as Guigal’s iconic trio “La Mouline,” “La Landonne,” and “La Turque.” Next, they focused on a prized Côte Blonde parcel, rooted in light, granite-rich soil, to fashion their floral and aromatic “Le Lancement” in 2003. More high scores followed, marking the period when Stéphane took full stewardship of the property.
What started with Michel Ogier’s 3.5 hectares has been greatly expanded over time: the family now farms 23.5 hectares in Saint-Joseph, Condrieu, Côtes du Rhône, and Collines Rhodaniennes. In any given vintage, the Ogiers may bottle 10 different vineyard-specific Côte-Rôties. All of these cuvées are distinct, yet still show the house focus on freshness, purity, and length. In fact, while Stéphane is always one of the last to harvest, his wines nevertheless always have a distinct freshness and purity—a Burgundian feel to their acidity and fine tannic structure. In 2015, owing to the great growth and success of the domaine, a new ultra-modern cellar was built after two years of reflection and planning. The 18,000-square-foot winery contains modern winemaking equipment and a 600-barrel cellar on the ground floor and tasting room upstairs, offering a panoramic view of the vertiginous slopes of Ampuis.
All vineyard work at the domaine is by hand and plowing is all horse-drawn. All the grapes are hand-harvested and sorted both in the vineyard and at the winery before de-stemming 80% to 100% of the grape clusters depending on ripeness levels. Fermentations occur naturally in open-top, stainless steel fermenters. After primary fermentation, the wine goes into barrels for aging from 12 to 20 months depending on the cuvée. Stéphane Ogier has moved completely away from the use of new barriques (small barrels) to larger, neutral demi-muids and foudres for raising his wines. He’s no longer interested in any “new wood” influence on the wine’s ability to express its site and vintage.
Today’s wine is labeled with the “Collines Rhodaniennes” IGP, a geographic indication which covers the large area between Lyon and Montélimar—the AOCs Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage, and Saint Joseph all fall within this larger area. This 2016 “La Rosine” Syrah shows a deep crimson/violet hue and goes to bright magenta on the rim of the glass. It is lively and focused on the nose, displaying intense black cherry, black raspberry, peonies, olive, licorice, and cracked pepper scents. The medium-bodied palate is ripe and penetrating offering sappy blueberry and spicy cherry flavor with floral-tinged echoes. Buffed smooth tannins and well-tamed acidity lend gentle grip to a long, energetic finish. Like the best of pedigreed Côte-Rôtie, the wine combines the granite-rich soil aromatics and the opulent, dark fruit with peppery grilled meat in a classic, textbook expression. I strongly suggest a decant for 30 minutes prior to your enjoyment in large Bordeaux stems at 60 degrees. This is a perfect introduction to the incomparable articulation of Northern Rhone Syrah and one to surely excite those seeking a sexy, bold character in a vividly, flavor-packed wine. Cheers!
