Burgundy-trained St?phane Ogier is a northern Rh?ne wunderkind, says Master of Wine Jancis Robinson. He makes this full bodied, fresh southern Rh?ne blend of about 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah from vines substantially grown in Viol?s on Le Plan de Dieu supplemented by some from Visan. Soils are a mixture of limestone and blue clay. Average vine density is 7,000 vines per hectare with the average age a very heartening 30 to 50 years. Vines are hand-harvested ? yields averaging 40 hl/ha ? before being sorted in both vineyard and cellar.
Ogier joined his father Michel in 1997 to work the family vineyards and built a glamorous new winery just south of Ampuis overlooked by the steep C?te R?tie terraces. And he has now built a second winery in the southern Rh?ne to make wines like Le Temps est Venu without having to ship the grapes too far.