Domaine Alain Voge - Saint-Péray Ongrie 2023

Guide Hachette des vins

About the estate:

Alain Voge joined his father at the family estate in 1958. By phasing out mixed farming, replanting abandoned hillsides, and selling directly by the bottle, he got the vineyard back on track; today, 12 hectares are cultivated using organic and biodynamic methods. He is regularly recognized for his Cornas and Saint-Péray wines.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

The Saint-Péray Ongrie 2023 is made from vines planted on cool, clay-rich soils, featuring Marsanne vines aged 50 to 60 years. With an exotic, ripe bouquet of mirabelle plums, ripe orchard fruits, candied citrus, and flowers, it is round and features a medium- to full-bodied structure, elegant and phenolic dry extracts, and a gastronomic bitterness that flows into a long, powerful, salty, and spicy finish. Aged in equal parts in 400-liter and 228-liter barrels, 20% of which are new, it will require a little patience.

About the estate:

Despite the weather challenges of 2021, General Manager Lionel Fraisse had a smile on his face when I rang the doorbell of the small tasting room in the village of Cornas. I thought I caught a glimpse of Madame Voge behind the curtains to my right, where she has continued to live since Alain’s death in 2020. There will be no Saint-Péray Ongrie starting in 2021, nor any sparkling Saint-Péray starting this year, says Fraisse, as these vineyards were devastated by frost and mildew. Furthermore, Fraisse stated that no decision had yet been made regarding the separate bottling of a 2020 Chapelle Saint Pierre and a Vieilles Fontaines. Fortunately, the 2019 vintages here are solid, with the 2019 Vieilles Fontaines (still in barrel at the time of my visit) particularly impressive. We took advantage of my visit to inquire about certain wines from 2011 and 2001; thus, the owners of these wines will find updated reviews in this report. This organic estate remains a fine source of Cornas and Saint-Péray.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the estate:

The entire vineyard has been certified biodynamic since 2013. The estate boasts exceptional hillside vineyards, all of which are tended entirely by hand. The presence of old vines also contributes to producing wines with a strong personality. The Fleur de Crussol cuvée, located in the La Côte vineyard, comes from vines over 70 years old. Since the 2015 vintage, the Terres Boisées cuvée has borne the name of the plot from which it originates: Ongrie, situated on granitic alluvial soils. There is also a change for Les Vinsonnes, which becomes Les Côtes, named after this terroir located in the village of Mauves. For reds, Les Vieilles Fontaines comes from 80-year-old vines planted on weathered granite.

Vinous

About the wine:

The 2023 Saint-Péray Ongrie is a beauty. Aged for 13 months in French oak barrels (20% of which are new), it offers vibrant aromas of apricot, white peach, honeysuckle, lemon zest, and a hint of cedar. The savory finish is marked by a phenolic bitterness. The elegant and refreshing 2023 is well worth discovering.