2022 St Péray, Harmonie, Domaine Alain Voge, Rhône
Critics reviews
100% Marsanne. Vinification in concrete with native yeasts. Malo completed. Aged on fine lees in concrete for around 10 months. Bottled in the spring after the harvest. Certified organic.
Tasted blind. Wet wool and spiced pear. There is a pillowy cloud of soft fruit, with a creamy character beneath. Dense and chewy – youthful yet shows real concentration beneath.
Drink 2024 - 2029
Alistair Cooper MW, JancisRobinson.com (September 2023)
Slightly closed and, I suspect, in need of 6-12 months in bottle, the 2022 Saint-Péray Harmonie has attractive peach and stone fruits and some spicy, toasty nuances. It's medium-bodied, with solid fruit purity and outstanding length.
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (March 2024)
The 2022 Saint-Péray Harmonie opens with discrete lemon flesh, white peach, honeysuckle and reductive subtleties. Polished and clean, this medium-bodied varietal Marsanne can be enjoyed over the next two years.
Drink 2023 - 2026
Nicolas Greinacher, Vinous.com (March 2024)
About this WINE
Domaine Alain Voge
Alain Voge is one of the famous names in Cornas. The domaine rose to prominence when Alain joined his father’s smallholding in the late 1950s, moving it from polyculture to focusing exclusively on wine. He became the Cornas appellation’s greatest advocate, championing its reputation internationally as well as at home. Until his death in ’20, he was regarded as the godfather of this portion of the Rhône.
In his five decades at the domaine, Alain worked meticulously: replanting abandoned slopes, regenerating old-vine Syrah and using traditional winemaking techniques to produce increasingly noteworthy wines. Following Alain’s retirement ’04, Chapoutier alumnus Albéric Mazoyer took over as co-owner and winemaker, moving the domaine to biodynamic practices. Since ’18, Lionel Fraisse has been at the helm who continues to champion the sustainable winemaking of his predecessors.
Today, the domaine spans more than 12 hectares: eight in Cornas and four in St Péray. Farmed organically and biodynamically, the wines are vinified traditionally, with the grapes largely de-stemmed and oak influence kept to a minimum in the reds. Despite burgeoning interest and price appreciation in the Northern Rhône, these wines still offer outstanding value.
Saint-Péray
St Péray is a small Northern Rhône wine appellation situated directly south of Cornas, and directly west of Valence. There are 65 hectares of vineyards (mostly limestone-based), and the main production is sparkling wine made via the traditional method.
Ninety percent of the planting is Marsanne, the remainder being made up of Rousanne and the lesser-known Roussette. Production of still whites is on the increase and this is undoubtedly an appellation to watch.
Marsanne
Marsanne is the predominant white grape variety grown in the Northern Rhône where it is used to produce white St. Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, and Hermitage. It is a tricky grape to cultivate, being susceptible to diseases and being particularly sensitive to extreme climatic changes - if growing conditions are too cool, then it fails to ripen fully and produces thin, insipid wines, while, if too hot, the resultant wines are blowsy, overblown and out of balance.
In the Northern Rhône it tends to be blended with around 15% Rousanne and produces richly aromatic, nutty wines which age marvellously - the best examples are from Hermitage and particularly from Chapoutier. Increasingly it is being grown in the Southern Rhône and Languedoc Roussillon where it is bottled as a single varietal or blended with Roussanne, Viognier, and sometimes Chardonnay. It is also grown very successfully in Victoria in Australia where some of the world`s oldest Marsanne vines are to be found.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
Buying options
Add to wishlist
Description
This is 100% Marsanne from both their historical plots – deep clay soils and 50-year-old vines and younger vines on granitic soil at 500m. The 2022 is richer than 2021, returning to classic style. It brims with character, balancing bitterness and freshness without excess acidity. Flavours of fresh apricot and orange skin lead to a clean finish. Production is small with only 8,000 total bottles.
Berry Bros. & Rudd
wine at a glance
Delivery and quality guarantee