Domaine Stéphane Ogier : Côte-Rotie Mon Village 2023

Orange rind, dried violets and spicy tones introduce the fragrant 2023 Côte-Rôtie Mon Village. This medium-bodied and rounded red offers an early glimpse of the potential Stéphane Ogier achieved in Côte-Rôtie in 2023, following through with outstanding finesse and notable persistence on the concentrated finish.

The classic, entry-level cuvée here, the 2023 Côte Rôtie Mon Village sports a deep, saturated hue as well as terrific aromatics of red and black fruits, spice, flowers, and hints of leather. It's medium to full-bodied, round, and seamless, with the classic suppleness and sexiness of this vintage. It's impossible to resist today, yet given its overall balance, I see no reason this shouldn't keep for 15 years. Drink 2026-2041.

I must confess that I approached the 2023 Côte-Rôtie Mon Village without particular expectation, yet it proved one of the more arresting surprises of the tasting. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of mocha, freshly ground coffee, dark berries and spices, subtly framed by oak, it is medium- to full-bodied, layered and finely textured. A fleshy core of fruit is supported by velvety tannins, leading into a perfumed, lively finish redolent of licorice, violets and dark berries. Introverted at first, it gains amplitude and definition with air, concluding on a note that is both flamboyant and precise. Kudos!