2017 Stephane Ogier Le Temps est Venu Côtes-du-Rhône 750 ml

Stéphane Ogier is one of the most exciting 100-point winemakers in all of France, and to taste his bar-setting Rhône reds, you’ve got a few options: Spend $300+ on one of his stellar, collector-coveted Côte-Rôties, shell out twice that to enjoy one with a Michelin-starred meal in NYC or Paris, or claim his 2017 Côtes du Rhône Le Temps est Venu right here, right now on Wine Access.

Just like we jump to claim the over-delivering Côtes du Rhônes from Beaucastel and Vieux Telegraphe’s famille Brunier, we’re all over this Ogier steal, which packs the savoir-faire of this superstar producer into a bottle boasting a weeknight price. One swirl and sip of the 2017 Le Temps est Venu, and you’ll know why every last member of our Wine Team is clearing out a little cellar space for this crimson Côtes du Rhône beauty.

This is a Côtes du Rhône deal for the ages, from one of the region’s defining young producers. You can’t beat the pedigree at this price, so claim yours now. 

Ruby-garnet around the edges, the nose is all warm ripe berries and dried herbs, with hints of black raspberry, plum, and wildflowers. Juicy and buoyant on the palate with crushed rock and black pepper in the periphery, it absolutely blooms once opened—we became increasingly smitten as the day went on, and time in the decanter revealed more and more structure and allowed the spicy tones to really come alive. 

Wine Advocate has said that Stéphane Ogier wines are “worth the search,” and our quest bore fruit for the first time late last year, when we landed an allocation so small we could’ve carried it up the stairs in one trip. But securing Stéphane’s investment-grade Côte Rôties didn’t quell our cravings—it just strengthened our resolve to find more.

Enter Stéphane’s Côtes du Rhône Le Temps est Venu, which has gained a rabid following among those familiar with the 100-point wunderkind’s work. It’s not just the name—although we’d pay twice this price for any wine with “Ogier” on the label—it’s that Stéphane procures his grapes from Plan de Dieu and Visan, two of just 17 Côtes du Rhône locales honored as Côtes du Rhône-Villages, often the last stop before full-fledged AOP status (see: Gigondas, Vacqueyras). In other words, Ogier tapped the best possible fruit, and this bottle still comes with a value price.

His blend is classic Southern Rhône, consisting of 60% Grenache, 35% Syrah (his specialty), and a hint of brooding Mourvèdre. Grown in clay-limestone soils on vines that average between 30 and 50 years of age, the grapes are hand-harvested, double-sorted (in the field and in the winery), and fermented in whole bunches using native yeasts. After ten months in concrete, the wine is rich, vibrant, and boasts all the red-fruit ripeness that we love from the region.

We expect this wine to fly out by the case—and we know exactly where about eight of them are going. We can’t wait to crack this with our friends, and casually mention how we bagged a case from Stéphane Ogier at this fantastic price. It’ll make every sip that much better.