2015 Domaine Stephen Ogier C Cotes du Rhone Le Temps
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The 2015 Côte du Rhône Le Temps Est Venu is a ripe, sexy effort that's loaded with notions of black raspberries, strawberries, spice, lavender and incense. Perfumed, open, sexy and ready to go, with a charming style on the palate, drink it over the coming 3-4 years. I was able to taste the 2015s from the incredibly talented Stéphane Ogier twice, once during my visit at the estate, which was just after bottling, and then again from bottles shipped to my office in Colorado. These are ripe, polished, sexy wines from Stéphane that show the purity as well as the opulence of this great, great vintage. The 2016 vintage was compared to 2006 by Ogier, which was a solid, under the radar vintage from the northern Rhône. The barrel samples all showed terrific purity of fruit and balanced styles, and should check in near the top of the vintage. This estate is certainly at the top of its game and readers looking for some of the most profound Côte Rôties out there are advised to get on this estate’s bandwagon.
Critic scores
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Rich red fruit on the nose and palate, with a garrigue herbiness to the finish. Dry, grainy tannins, medium body with generous core fruit that gives fulfilling flavour but doesn’t come across as too extracted. A fine Côtes du Rhône. (RH)
Starting off the reds and from the Southern Rhône, the 2015 Côtes Du Rhône Temps Est Venu comes from vines in the Plan de Dieu and Visan, and is mostly Grenache with smaller amounts of Syrah and Mourvèdre. It’s vinified and aged all in concrete, and was bottled earlier this year. Spice, black raspberries, herbes de Provence and dried earth notes all emerge from this medium-bodied, supple, elegant red that has gorgeous sweetness of fruit and impeccable balance. It’s a no-brainer purchase and will drink well for 4-5 years.