Stéphane Ogier Le Temps est Venu Blanc 2024, Côtes du Rhône

Le Temps est Venu Blanc is the southern Rhône white from Domaine Stéphane Ogier, the Côte-Rôtie grower based in Ampuis. The grapes come from the estate’s vineyards in Plan de Dieu and Visan. Plan de Dieu has flat clay-limestone soils with quartz stones on the surface, and Visan has rolling hills of sandy clay and limestone, in a Mediterranean climate swept by the Mistral. Grenache Blanc leads the blend, alongside Roussanne and smaller amounts of Clairette, Bourboulenc and Viognier. The grapes are picked by hand and sorted twice. They are pressed directly, fermented in concrete vats with indigenous yeasts and aged for six months in concrete, with no oak.

In the glass it is a bright, pale gold. The nose is fresh and floral, with tangerine, apple, quince and acacia blossom. The palate is round yet lively, with fresh orchard fruit, a textured mid-palate and a clean, gently saline finish with a subtle hint of walnut.

Serve chilled, at around 8–10°C. It is a versatile food wine, lovely with grilled prawns, white fish in a butter sauce, roast chicken and other poultry, and vegetable dishes. It also makes a great match for Provençal and Mediterranean cooking. Stéphane Ogier Le Temps est Venu Blanc is best enjoyed within a few years, while its fruit is fresh.

Domaine Stéphane Ogier is based in Ampuis, at the heart of Côte-Rôtie in the northern Rhône. Stéphane’s father, Michel, grew apricots and grapes and sold his fruit until 1983, when he made the first estate-bottled vintage. Stéphane is the seventh generation of the family to work the land. He returned in 1997 after five years of study in Burgundy and brought a Burgundian approach with him. He expanded the domaine across Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu, Saint-Joseph and Seyssuel, and south to Plan de Dieu and Visan. He vinifies each parcel separately, harvests by hand with minimal intervention in the vineyard, and looks for tension and freshness in his whites. Since 2012 he has also bottled single lieux-dits to show the different terroirs of Côte-Rôtie.