1998 | Clos de l'Oratoire | Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

Intense aromas of black olive and blackberry, with a hint of grilled meat. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a long, rich finish. Very powerful and rich.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: An opaque blue/purple color is accompanied by a sensational bouquet of melted fudge, plums, Asian spices, blackberries, and prunes. Smoky, barbeque-like spices also emerge with airing. Full-bodied, super-extracted, rich, pure, and mouth-saturating, this large-scaled effort can be consumed with pleasure, but it will age for two decades.

• Wine Spectator: Intense aromas of black olive and blackberry, with a hint of grilled meat. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a long, rich finish. Very powerful and rich. Just starting to come around.

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.

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