Côte-Rôtie - Domaine Michel & Stephane Ogier
Today's Wine:
2011 Heritages Cotes du Rhone Rose
| Varietal: | Rosé |
| Region: | Rhône, France |
| Availability: | Very Limited |
| Avg. Price: | $24.00 |
| Wine Spies: |
$14.99
(over 35% off)
|
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Mission Codename: Incroyable!
- Operative
- Agent Red
- Objective
- Send Agent Red to the right bank of the Rhone, in France, in search of an astonishingly great Rosé. Secure an ample allocation for our deserving Operatives
- Mission Status
- Accomplished!
- Winemaker
- Didier Couturier
Final Assessment
Today’s wine is fantastic and, if you love great Rosé, we offer it to you with our boldest recommendation!
On the palate, this wine presents the lively flavor young strawberry at the edges of the tongue. As the wine settles on to the tongue, it begins to spread additional flavors inward. These include flavors of white peach, citrus, rose petal and more. This spread of new flavors is intriguing and it leads to a finish that is exceedingly long for a Rosé.
Overall, the wine is delicate, delicious and simply sublime. On the finish, flavor cling to the tongue with an almost velvety coating. We really love this wine and we will be stocking our own summertime cellars with at least a case.
Tasting Profile
Very pretty in the glass, with hues that remind us of a deep pink rose or a light hibiscus tea
Young strawberry, light raspberry, red currant, light citrus and a hint of flinty minerality.
Dynamic and evolving with lush, mouth coating flavors of young strawberry, Macon peach, flint, watermelon rind, light citrus, rose petals and light raspberry
Very long and very dynamic with flavors that don’t seem to end. In fact, flavors evolve onto the palate, long after the wine leaves your mouth.
True the heritage of the Cinsault grape, this wine would be incredible with a prawn tangine
What the Winery Says
- In Brief
- A dry Côtes du Rhône rosé, full of lively fruit flavors, with mineral hints and a very elegant finish. A popular aperitif or pairs well with spicy Asian cuisines, barbecued meats or stuffed bell peppers.
Heritages Côtes du Rhône Rosé 2011 :Patience, know-how, observation and intuition are the essential qualities to create and age our wines. Our team has shared this goal of excellence for more than 150 years. This passionate quest for making Rhône Valley wines was born in the prestigious vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Ogier ages the greatest appellations of the Rhône Valley in our ancient cellars.
The Côtes du Rhône “Héritages” is crafted by the personality and the history of Ogier, as well as by the wine-growing area of the Côtes du Rhône, where fruit, spices and generosity dominate.
Côtes du Rhône Heritages Rosé is delightful as an aperitif and very pleasant with exotic Mediterranean dishes, fish, veal or tasty poultry.
Eye :Pale pink
Nose :Intense nose of red berries, citrus and rose.
Palate :Starts and finishes on freshness and vivacity, supported by hints of grapefruit. Mid-palate marked by roundness and red fruit aromas.
Appellation :Côtes du Rhône AOC
- Varietals
- Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvedre
- Soil
- Slopes of sandy clay; alluvial deposits on terraces and gravels.
- Vinification
- Short maceration (about 12 hours), fermentation at low temperature (50-54°F)
- Winemaker
- Didier Couturier
About the Winery
- FROM PLINY TO MODERN TIMES
- History tells us that vines have been cultivated here since ancient times. Two thousand years ago, Latin authors such as Martial, Pliny the Elder and Columelle and the Greek Plutarch celebrated Côte Rôtie wine under the name “wine from Vienne”.
Setting up the vineyards was a formidable task, and was carried out over a period of more than twenty centuries. The first accurate written documents concerning Ampuis and Côte-Rôtie go back to the 6th century.
During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the reputation of Ampuis wines continued to grow. Before the Revolution, Côtes-Rôtie wines were sent to royal tables in England, Russia, Prussia and, of course, France .
The vineyards reached their production peak in 1890. Even the smallest folds in the hillsides were cultivated, as long as they were exposed to the sun. Some parcels forced winegrowers to carry their harvest for nearly a kilometre along particularly difficult goatherds’ paths. . At this time, the ravages of phylloxera and other illnesses did not manage to dampen the winegrowers’ enthusiasm. But although they were able to overcome these calamities, the great 1914-1918 war came along to ruin their efforts. By taking more than one hundred and fifty men, the war condemned part of the hillsides to abandonment. This setback was not overcome until the early 1960s.
Today, the Côte-Rôtie vineyards are back to their original size. More than a hundred winegrowers make a living out of them. Over 40 % of production is exported, for the pleasure of wine lovers the world over.
