1999 Syrah La Rosine Vin de Pays Des Collines Rhodaniennes

Stephane Ogier describes 2000 as "a very elegant vintage in a pinot way, a bit like the Cote de Nuits in style. It was critical to avoid overextraction." After the maturing process was blocked by a hot, very dry August, some well-timed rain at the beginning of September quickly sent potential alcohol levels from 10.5% to 12.5%. The domain had eliminated virtually half its fruit in early August, yet still produced a larger crop than in '99 and '98. The Ogiers began the practice of destemming their fruit in 1998; they removed a good 70% of the stems in 2000. Although the Ogiers now do a longer cuvaison to gain fat and material, they stop punching down the cap as soon as the fermentation ends, relying instead on chapeau immerge(submerged cap) and remontage(pumping over) to aerate the must. The domain has also reduced the number of rackings during elevage to a bare minimum, an approach that more and more Rhone Valley producers are taking with grenache as well as syrah, especially when the wines are aged in small, new barrels. "We waited a long time to rack our 2000s," notes Stephane, adding that half of the 2000 cuvees had been racked in June, and the other half not at all. The plan was to bottle the wines with just one or two rackings, compared to four for the larger-scaled 1999s. (Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, D.C.)