2014 | Clos de l'Oratoire | Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

Shows lovely fruit, with waves of blueberry, plum and boysenberry compote rolling over each other. The polished structure is well-embedded, while the finish lets a graphite note peek out.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The 2014 Clos l'Oratoire has certainly lost its bashful personality since en primeur, now in bottle, much more exuberant with pure cranberry, boysenberry and orange rind aromas, nicely delineated with impressive intensity. The palate is smooth, almost velvety on the entry, a plush and quite luscious Saint Emilion with impressive volume and presence. It might lack a little delineation, but there is satisfying length as those mulberry and raspberry notes persist and linger long after the wine has departed. This surpasses my expectations.

• James Suckling: This is already really delicious. The black-fruit aromas are really ripe, but there’s no hint of jammy stuff. Tastes simultaneously juicy and creamy, and the tannins are so graceful: The wine glides across the palate. If it were more subtle, the score would go even higher.

Producer Information

Clos de l'Oratoire is well-regarded Grand Cru Classé wine estate located on the northeast slope of the Saint-Émilion plateau, just 2km (1.2 miles) northeast of Saint-Émilion town. The estate is part of the von Neipperg family portfolio of wines which is perhaps best known for its flagship property: Château Canon La Gaffelière. What is know Clos de l'Oratoire originally formed part of the wider Château Peyreau estate, which neighbors the Clos' buildings. The sites, which have a history dating back to the 18th Century, were purchased by the von Neipperg family in 1972. Although it was not in the original Saint-Émilion classification of 1955, Clos de l'Oratoire was named a Grand Cru Classé in the 1969 interation (then as "Château l'Oratoire"). By the 1986 edition of the classification, the estate was appearing as "Clos de l'Oratoire" and has remained in the Grand Cru Classé list ever since. Second-generation family member Stephan von Niepperg now owns and manages the estate. It sits alongside a well-regarded Bordeaux portfolio including Château Peyreau itself as well as Canon La Gaffelière, La Mondotte, Clos Marsalette and Château d'Aiguilhe. Neighbors to Peyreau and Clos de l'Oratoire include Château Dassault to the northwest (Château Faurie de Souchard, also part of the Dassault stable, is immediately over the road to the west) while Petit Faurie de Soutard – and Château Soutard itself – lie to the southwest. The Clos de l'Oratoire property covers 13 hectares (32 acres) of vineyard on sandy soils with a clay-limestone-sandstone subsoil known as "Molasse de Fronsadais" or Fronsac molasse. As with many sites in the region, the vineyard here is Merlot dominant with around 80 percent of the vineyard planted to the variety. While originally containing a small portion of Cabernet Sauvignon, these vines have been pulled out and the remaining 20 percent of plantings given over to Cabernet Franc. This proportion is generally reflected in the final wine. Vinification is temperature controlled and whole berries (destemmed but not crushed) are fermented in oak tanks. The tanks are regularly (but gently) plunged during fermentation. The wine goes through malolactic fermentation and aging in oak barrels (of which between 50 and 80 percent are new oak, depending on the vintage). The wine is aged in barrel on its fine lees for 14 to 18 months. Production averages around 2000 cases per year.

DISCLAIMER** This is a single item listing unless otherwise noted in the description. Retailer advises either in stock or in route to their location. Usually ships within one to four business days. Longer processing times may occur especially around holiday(s). Some items may become backordered or delayed without notice due to demand & will ship out upon arrival. Overseas 700ml products typically have longer processing/transit times. You can always verify product availability by calling 1-888-548-0333. Please refer to our cancellations & returns agreement or reach out to our support team at help@caskcartel.com for any additional questions.

Our dedicated team specializes in creating personalized shopping experiences. If you’re looking for a specific item or collection that isn’t appearing on our marketplace, please reach out to us at concierge@caskcartel.com or fill out the product inquiry form and one of our dedicated team members will be in touch.  Whether it’s a product you’ve experienced while traveling or a rare, hard to find item you’ve been searching for, we have an established global network of retailers with the ability to locate and source the rarest and hardest to find products.