Here is a perfectly balanced offer:  From an exciting producer of world-class Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu, alongside affordable but authentic 'everyday' reds and whites from the Côtes du Rhône.  Our offer prices start from just £130 per dozen, so there's something here for everyone.

Stéphane Ogier trained in winemaking in Burgundy before returning to run the family domaine in Côte-Rôtie in 1997, taking over fully in 2000.  He has expanded the vineyards to encompass numerous small plots in Condrieu, St-Joseph, and the Côtes du Rhône, maintaining his focus on expressing the distinct terroirs in each area.

  In an area where blending the wines from small parcels is still the norm, he has taken this obsession with terroir to extremes.  Since 2012, he has produced his 'assortment' of tiny cuvées from nine different Côte-Rôtie lieux-dits, only available as part of a special case. 

Ogier is most famous for his top cuvée, the superb Côte-Rôtie "La Belle Helene".  This is a blend from three different sites, which may seem a bit of a contradiction, given his focus on expressing single sites, but who are we to argue, as the 2020 vintage receives a near-perfect score of 99 points from Jeb Dunnuck and 99+ points from The Wine Advocate.

Despite the reputation of his top wines, it was the highly affordable Côtes du Rhône Blanc & Rouge, 'Le Temps est Venu' which we found completely arresting when we tasted the domaine's most recent releases earlier this week.  The cuvée name translates as "The time has come", alluding to Stéphane's decision to expand beyond the Northern Rhône.  We're jolly glad he did, as this pair of wines are among the most appealing we have ever tasted. 

The blend for the white includes some Viognier, and the style is remarkably cool, almost Northern, despite the vines being close to the Plan de Dieu, not far from the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation. The red is just as extraordinary, principally Grenache-based, with tremendous elegance and very pure blackcurrant and cherry fruit on the nose and palate.  On tasting the red, Antony's comment was "you feel as if you would never want to drink anything else", which sums up how impressed we were.

The Syrah 'La Rosine' and Condrieu 'Le Malleval' sit in-between the extremes of the Côtes du Rhônes and Côte-Rôtie, so it's easy to overlook them, which would be a shame.  La Rosine is from vines just above Côte-Rôtie and offers wonderfully pure Syrah fruit character with lots of herbal aromas, wrapped up in a delightfully medium-bodied package, just 12.5% abv.  Condrieu Le Malleval (95 points) was extraordinary to taste, with rich honeysuckle aromas and a mineral character, a perfect wine to pair with a plate of French cheeses.

There's something in this offer for everyone and the Côtes du Rhônes are especially good value at under £11 per bottle in bond when you buy two or more cases from the offer, so please do add some to your cellar!

Offered in bond, available October/November