2007 Côte-Rôtie Lancement

Stephane Ogier decided to bottle only one Cote-Rotie from '08 so all of the juice usually designated for the Lancement and Belle Helene bottlings is in that wine. He told me that he vinifies with a percentage of whole clusters "but only in ripe years, because otherwise the stems bring green tannins." He likes the perfume that can be gained by using whole clusters but is wary of going above 50% with them as "that seems to be the amount that gets me the complexity that I want without running the risk of hardening the wine." I continue to sense that Ogier prefers his Lancement bottling to the Belle Helene, and this year he commented that the Lancement is for Burgundy lovers (which he is), while the Belle Helene seems to appeal more to Bordeaux drinkers. At the end of our tasting of the 2008s and 2007s Ogier opened his superb 2006 and 2005 Cote-Rotie line-ups for comparison to the new vintages. "Two thousand five is a dense, powerful vintage that suits the Belle Helene while the elegance of '06 favors the Lancement," he offered-an observation that I share. (Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, D.C.)

Stephane Ogier describes his 2006s as having "the freshness of 2004 but with more density and power. " Although he likes the way the wines are showing now he thinks they will shut down in a couple of years and will then need to be forgotten in the cellar for another five years or so. On the other hand, he believes that the 2004s will always be appealing. As for 2007, Ogier finds the wines "a lot like 2006, and much more fresh and less dense than the 2005s. They're more seamless right now than the '07s but the '07s might turn out to be more complex and intriguing. " Ogier told me that he prefers to harvest viognier early and syrah late. "My favorite white wines are probably rieslings, so I want to make whites that are fine, precise and pure. Besides, finesse is the most important element in good wine, not power. " (Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, D. C. ) Also recommended: 2007 Viognier de Rosine Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes (86).