Domaine Stephane Ogier Saint-Joseph "Le Passage" red 2018

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Joe Czerwinski, déc. 2019) : 90-92/100. Sourced largely from Malleval, Ogier's 2018 Saint Joseph le Passage features classic Syrah elements of asphalt, black olive, black pepper and blackberries. Medium to full-bodied, it boasts silky tannins but also a certain amount of muscle and intensity under that soft exterior. At 30% new oak (the highest proportion of new oak in any red wine in the cellar this year), the oak isn't obtrusive at all, blending seamlessly into the fruit. Drink date 2021-2030.

My visit to Domaine Stéphane Ogier occurred the week before many of the 2017s were to be bottled, giving a good view of the wines before they went through the trauma of bottling and (potentially) shut down. It's a vintage that Ogier likes. "We can feel it's a warm year like 2009, but we don't have the powerful tannins like in 2015. Seventeen was more balanced in terms of weather.… It's in the style of 2016 but more charming, more finesse, with a step up in terms of density and intensity over '16." As Ogier owns numerous parcels across the entire slope of Côte Rôtie, barrel-tasting here is challenging but fun and instructive, with Ogier bouncing from barrel to barrel, climbing high into the stacks to pull various samples from his different lieux-dits. The oak seems toned down in recent years, or perhaps the fruit is more assertive. "We could say God is with us the last four years," said Ogier.