Domaine de l'Oratoire Saint-Martin - Réserve des Seigneurs 2018

Bettane & Desseauve

About the domain :

At the end of the 1980s, Frédéric and François Alary were among the rare winemakers who literally reinvented the Côtes-du-Rhône and its villages, bringing an exacting, sensitive and rigorous approach to production that was completely foreign to many of their peers. Over the following decades, they made their estate one of the most attractive and consistent ambassadors of Côtes-du-Rhône. With 25 hectares of biodynamic viticulture and an impressive heritage of old vines, they know how to make wines that combine fullness and pleasure. Always well-structured, but without harsh tannins, and expressing ripe fruit with precision, their red wines are only at their best after one to three years' cellaring, depending on the cuvée and the vintage. As for the white wines, they blossom around smooth, full-bodied textures with discreet minerality.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

I tasted what Frédéric Alary described as "the heart of the blend" on foudre before any sulfur was added, a blend of 40% Mourvèdre and 30% each Grenache and Syrah. Rich and concentrated, the 2018 Cairanne Réserve des Seigneurs is full-bodied, ripe, supple and long, with notes of violet and purple raspberry. Despite the challenges of the vintage, it looks like another success for this quality-conscious domaine.

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

About the wine:

The very southern palette reveals nuances of black fruits, wild berries, black olives and licorice. The palate is full-bodied. A framework of tannin provides a good counterpoint to this generosity, and this powerful wine will need to be refined over time.

About the domain :

Frédéric and François Alary, who arrived in 1984, took over the reins of this estate, which had belonged to the Alary family since the 17th century. Under the two brothers' colossal efforts, the domaine rose to the top, thanks to respectful agriculture and precise white and red wines from this beautiful Cairanne terroir. With no one to take up the torch, the domaine was sold in 2020 to the Abeille-Fabre family, owners of Château Mont-Redon in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

James Suckling