The best value Northern Rhone Syrah in the country is back!

Burgundy-trained Stéphane Ogier is a bit of a northern Rhône wunderkind. JANCIS ROBINSON MW 

It's a terrific introduction to Stéphane Ogier's range of Syrahs from the Northern Rhône. JOE CZERWINSKI, Robert Parker

Unquestionably, one of the most exciting domaines in the world of wine today is that of superstar winemaker Stephane Ogier... These wines shine for their purity of fruit as well as balance. While the expensive releases get all the attention, don’t miss the La Rosine, L’Ame Soeur, Saint Joseph, or Côte Rôtie Mon Village from this estate. These are terrific wines that offer loads of character and represent smoking values for the true wine lovers and wine drinkers out there. JEB DUNNUCK

[ON 2019 NORTHERN RHONE] ...the wines look extremely promising and show an uncanny blend of depth and vivacity. JOSH RAYNOLDS, Vinous
 

The best value Northern Rhone Syrah in the country is back!

I absolutely love the Syrah based wines from the Northern Rhone but the cost of these wines makes them prohibitively expensive for everyday drinking. Cote Rotie, Hermitage, Cornas, and even good St Joseph, attract a premium price, and probably rightly so, but the unicorn of an everyday Syrah that captures that Northern Rhone magic seemed like a pipedream...until this wine crossed into our radar.

For starters this is a wine made by the insanely talented Stephane Ogier. This guy is arguably the most exciting young producer in the Northern Rhone today. The magic he weaves with Syrah is something to behold. Meticulous, obsessive and driven towards greatness Stephane builds every wine in his collection with incredible attention to detail literally from the ground up, Every wine from his Côtes du Rhône to single-site Cote Roties gets the full treatment.  

Aside from Stephane's fastidious work in the vineyard and cellar it's his selection of sites that really defines his wines and that is no different here. La Rosine is a special plot that is nestled between the southern border of Cote Rotie and the northern border of Condrieu. From what I can understand it  could well have been included with the now prized vineyards to the north but perhaps slipped through the cracks and now we get to reap the benefits. 

I don't want to say this a baby Cote Rotie, but the quality of fruit is apparent. However, the style here is a little different. It's more pliant and open, the fruit allowed to express itself a little more. The 2019 incantation is a lovely mid-weighted wine with plenty of sumptuous  fruit lifted by cool acidity and ripe tannins. The 2019 has a few years under its belt now too so with a little air those lovely savoury highlights peep through, a little black olive, white pepper and an earthy spice too. There's a succulence to the mid-palate and the finish brings with it a lovely chalky, mineral inflected goodbye. It's a sensational wine, from a top vintage, from a special site that's been crafted by one of the best in the biz. Hard to beat.

You might have clocked it already but yes, we have offered the 2019 before. However this was such an excellent vintage we jumped at the chance for a restock. This excellent little Syrah will only set you back $55 in a six-pack. That is a nearly 25% off the shelf price.  If  lthis vineyard lay a little further north this would be significantly more expensive, but lying across the Cote Rotie line keeps this wine remarkably affordable.