2010 L'Ame Soeur Seyssuel

The 2010 Syrah l’Ame Soeur Vin de Pays is a must purchase – if you can find any of the 8,000 bottles produced. To reiterate what I wrote about the 2011, this vin de pays is a dead-ringer for Guigal’s La Mouline. An astonishing bouquet of spring flowers, forest floor, blackberries, kirsch, coffee and spice box soars from the glass of this incredibly perfumed wine. Made from 100% destemmed fruit, it is opulent, full-bodied, and must be tasted to be believed. Ogier used about 20% new oak. It should drink nicely for 7-8 years. Stephane Ogier, tall and blond with rugged, Brad Pitt-like good looks, is the next generation of young, ambitious, well-traveled children from family-owned estates. Learning his trade and working next to his father, who is now fully retired, Stephane Ogier has moved confidently and dramatically to expand this estate from the Cote Rotie holdings to their vineyards that go into La Rosine and those from Seyssuel that go into l’Ame Soeur. He has also added a St-Joseph cuvee from a small parcel of vines in Malleval, next to his Condrieu holdings. Moreover, readers should not forget the recent white wine offerings from Ogier. The great success for the 2011s is attributable, as Ogier says, to harvesting seven days later than just about everyone else in Cote Rotie, in addition to aggressive green harvesting and farming practices in the vineyards. This is evident across the board as these are some of the finest 2011s I tasted in the Northern Rhone. Ogier has 12 separate Cote Rotie parcels spread along the hillsides of the Cote Blonde and Cote Brune. The 2011s were harvested between September 16 and October 8, and because of Ogier’s conservative farming practices as well as the courage it took to wait to harvest until after the rains, the quality of the fruit is outstanding. The 2010s are all remarkable wines at Ogier. Stephane Ogier also deserves accolades for what he has been able to achieve with his white wine program since he began it in 2007. There are now three cuvees, all outstanding. Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, New York, NY; tel. (212) 239-1275

Vivid ruby. Pungent red berries and cherry pit on the highly perfumed nose. Tangy and precise, offering pure black raspberry and bitter cherry flavors and a strong blast of zesty minerality. The mineral-accented finish is nervy, focused and very long, leaving spiced cherry and floral pastille notes behind.