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Tasting Notes
Full-bodied with balanced acidity, there are flavors of pear, apricot, and lychee fruit with ginger, wool, white pepper, and beeswax on the layered finish.
Body is the impression of a wines weight, density, or its ‘mouth-feel’. Some wines feel weighty, or full bodied, while others feel light bodied. Wine runs the gamut from light to full, with most falling somewhere in between.
ACIDITY
Low
Moderate
Balanced
Crisp
High
Acidity is a foundational component in wine. In fact, low acidity, or ‘flabby’ wine (as the term suggests) is a negative. You can sense acidity mainly on the sides of your tongue. Acidity generally ranges from balanced to high. Crisp acidity adds freshness, making your mouth water. Acidity is a necessary element and helps to balance other components.
SWEETNESS
Dry
Off Dry
Medium Dry
Medium Sweet
Very Sweet
Most wines are characterized as dry to off-dry, but there are some grape varietals, like Riesling, that run the gamut from dry to sweet. The tip of the tongue mainly detects sweetness, which is why it is often the primary characteristic detected. Sweetness is derived from residual sugar that did not ferment into alcohol.
ALCOHOL
13.5%
Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Differing grape varieties have differing potential alcohol levels, but regardless warmer areas result in riper grapes resulting in higher alcohol. Alcohol level is an objective number, but its affect on its palate impression is largely determined with how well integrated and balanced it is with other components.
In warm areas, Grenache Blanc makes rich wines, and is often blended with more crisp varietals for balance. That said, it is at its best when grown at higher elevations, keeping the acid and sugar and balancing roundness with fresh acidity and minerality.
Roussanne
25%Roo-SAN
Rousanne is a high quality, aromatic, white Rhone varietal often blended with Marsanne in Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, and St. Joseph. Rousanne is more aromatic than Marsanne, often with a refreshing floral, and slightly herbal perfume, and has higher acidity that provides it better ability to age gracefully.
Clairette
25%Clay-RET
Clairette has a long history in Southern France and a reputation for producing fairly straightforward but crisp, sometimes mineral tinged white wines. It is actually best suited as a blending partner in the southern Rhône like Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc or Côtes du Rhône Blance, adding freshness and acidity.
Viognier
10%Vyo-NYAY
Viognier almost went extinct in the 1960s, but has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity. Although grown around the word, it is most famous for the full bodied intensely aromatic floral white wines with a sometimes oily texture grown on granite terraces in Condrieu, and small amount to Syrah in Côte Rôtie, just north of Condrieu, adding aromatic complexity.
Marsanne
10%Mar-SAN
Marsanne is principally a Rhone varietal (can also be found in the U.S. and Australia) that makes full-bodied wines with moderate acidity. However, it is often blended with Roussanne and Viognier, especially in the Northern Rhone, to make rich wines with floral aromatics.
The Ogier family has had seven generations in Ampuis, but Michel Ogier was the first to decide to make wine from his grapes in 1983. His son Stépha would follow in his footsteps, joining the domaine in 1997 after studying oenology in Burgundy.
Stéphane has brought a Burgundian sensibility to Ogier’s style and approach, including manual or horse-driven plowing in the vineyard, a focus on individual terroir, and a style that seeks to balance intensity and elegance rather than sheer power.
In the last 20 years, the winery has expanded production from 15,000 to 300,000 bottles while building a state-of-the-art winery and continually striving for higher quality.
Pear
Ginger
Salt
Organic
