Burgundy-trained Stéphane Ogier is a northern Rhône wunderkind, says Master of Wine Jancis Robinson. He makes this full bodied, fresh southern Rhône blend of about 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah from vines substantially grown in Violès 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 Côte Rôtie terraces. And he has now built a second winery in the southern Rhône to make wines like Le Temps est Venu without having to ship the grapes too far.

The Domaine des Espiers is located in the heart of Vaucluse, between the banks of the Ouvèze and Dentelles de Montmirail. This is an excellent value Cote du Rhone with smooth tannins, warm berry fruit flavours and a medium body. 

A fruit forward wine with just the right amount of tannic structure, backed up with spice and some firm toasty wood flavours in the background.

Grape 50% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon

Food match pepper steak, duck salad, game dishes"

14% ABV

This Chateauneuf du Pape is a full-bodied and rich blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre. This is a concentrated, deep wine with dark fruit, cherry and spiced notes. Expect this wine to age gracefully over the next few years.

Vacqueyras has always played second fiddle to Chateauneuf but the wines are finally starting to get the credit they deserve and this full bodied, deep and complex red is an excellent expression of this appellation. 

Sang des Cailloux means “blood of the stones,” and the galets ridden nature of the soil comes across in the mineral, stony aspect of this wine which is deep and full of energy and with notes of lavender, red and black fruit and olive. It is ready to drink now but will age gracefully for at least ten to fifteen years.

This wine is made from grapes grown on the elevated Plateau des Garrigues, where the vines are planted on a mixture of red clay, limestone and galets roule - or pudding - stones that are famously found in Chateaunuef.

Chablis is the northernmost wine region in Burgundy, which produces only Chardonnay. The cooler climate gives these wines crispness, acidity and a flinty minerality.

This wine is fresh and pure with an underlying minerality. The palate reveals notes of citrus combined with spicy aromas (fennel, lime blossom, cinnamon and hawthorn). Billaud-Simon wines offer exceptional ageing potential and will evolve well over time.

75% Grenache + 25% Syrah from sandy light soils at the limit of the slopes of Sablet in the Southern Rhone.

Winemaking: The stems are removed and the Syrah and Grenache are fermented separately over 10 to 15 days in concrete tanks at a temperature of around 25 degrees. The wines is then matured for 3 months in oak.

Tasting: Bright ruby colour. The nose is very aromatic with intense reds fruit, hints of spice and liquorice. The palate is expressive and fleshy and follows suit with the nose.

Bouscasse represents the most open and polished wine from Alain Brumont's extensive holdings in the region. The vines are planted on hillsides with yellow and white clay layered over fissured limestone. Bouscasse is meant to reflect the history of the region, made in the style of the 18th century heyday of Madiran.

The wine is big and bold, packed with both fruit and tannins. It has great structure and a dense dusty tannic character that promises great aging but which will be drinking now with a dcent decant.

Tannat 40%, Cabernet Sauvignon 35% and Cabernet Franc 25%

An assemblage of different parcels on marl and limestone soils in Gevingey, 35yo vines on average, facing west. Vinified and aged in foudres with no bâtonnage, the wine was bottled in July the following year. This is a zippy and lean style of chardonnay that is always great. 

Notes on the producer

Natives of the Jura, both Pauline and Géraud’s families owned tiny plots (used to make wine for home consumption) and spending time in the vines in their childhood was enough to give them the wine bug. They met while studying winemaking in Dijon and created Domaine des Marnes Blanches when they returned to the Jura in 2006. They farmed organically from the word go and have added (some planted) parcels along the way to reach a total of 12ha today, spread across three towns in the Sud-Revermont (south of the Côtes-du-Jura AC).

They recently built a new winery off the main road in Ste-Agnès which gives them plenty of space and allows them to vinify and age every parcel separately. Wild yeast fermentation is the norm, wines are fermented in stainless steel and then aged in minimum 5yo 228 to 600ltr barrels. Sulphur is used sparsely for the whites (around 20mg/l total) or not at all for the reds.

Hand-harvested with rigorous sorting, traditional vinification with alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in 500-liter demi-muids, indigenous yeasts, without racking. Organic viticulture (certified), and biodynamic practices.

The nose is intense, offering beautiful floral aromas. The palate is splendid, rich, and full-bodied, with aromas of lemon. Tension is currently dominant, along with salinity and minerality, but this nectar will undoubtedly evolve towards a more luscious character. It finishes with a very long, mouthwatering finish.