Domaine Stéphane Ogier - Le Temps est Venu 2024
Domaine Stéphane Ogier is located in Ampuis, an emblematic village of Côte Rôtie, where the family has been cultivating vines for several generations with haute couture-level precision. Over the years, Stéphane Ogier has extended his expertise towards the south of the Rhône Valley, selecting exceptional terroirs between Plan de Dieu, Visan, and the Enclave des Papes, on soils of blue clay and limestone pebbles. These plots benefit from a Mediterranean climate ventilated by the mistral wind, which ensures healthy grapes and a beautiful natural concentration. The vineyard is managed with a spirit of reasoned and parcel-specific viticulture, with deliberately limited yields to favor finesse and depth of fruit. This vision, blending Burgundian precision and Rhodanian power, has made the domaine a major reference, sought after both for its great Côte Rôtie wines and for its Côtes du Rhône with excellent price-to-pleasure ratio. Le Temps est Venu perfectly illustrates this ambition to offer a great wine of immediate pleasure without sacrificing the elegance of the house.
Le Temps est Venu 2024 is a red Côtes du Rhône that highlights northern Syrah and southern Grenache in a precise and generous blend. The 2024 vintage, marked by generous but well-controlled sunshine, offers ripe grapes with mature and silky tannins, while maintaining sufficient freshness to ensure drinkability and balance. The cuvée comes from well-matured vines rooted in soils of limestone pebbles over blue clay, which provide both structure, depth of fruit, and tension. The harvest is done by hand, with careful sorting in the vineyard and again at the winery entrance to remove under-ripe berries. Vinification takes place in temperature-controlled concrete vats, with a significant proportion of whole clusters and exclusive use of indigenous yeasts, to preserve the purity of the fruit and the terroir’s signature. Aging for about ten months in concrete vats refines the tannins, rounds the texture, and keeps the wine’s crunchy and spicy dimension intact. This 2024 thus presents itself as a well-crafted Côtes du Rhône, ready to be enjoyed now while also capable of evolving for a few years in the cellar.
On tasting, Le Temps est Venu 2024 reveals a bright ruby robe with violet reflections, promising a young and energetic wine. The nose opens with an intense bouquet of small red and black fruits, raspberry and blackcurrant leading, complemented by notes of blackberry, violet, and a touch of black pepper recalling the predominance of Syrah. On the palate, the attack is immediate, juicy, and crunchy, with generous fruit supported by a spicy and slightly licorice framework. The texture is supple yet structured, with fine tannins that envelop the palate without harshness and well-integrated freshness that lengthens the finish. Nuances of garrigue, thyme, and bay leaf mingle with ripe fruits, reinforcing the wine’s Mediterranean character and gastronomic dimension. The finish is long, generous, punctuated by notes of sweet spices and a slight salinity that invites the next sip. This Côtes du Rhône will pair ideally with grilled rib steak, roasted rack of lamb, herb-marinated skewers, a Mediterranean-flavored pizza, or a beautiful platter of cured meats and aged cheeses.
Grape varieties: 80% Syrah, 20% Grenache
