Clos de l'Oratoire des Papes 1998
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Clos de l'Oratoire des Papes is a perfect partner for red meat, grilled or in a sauce, and also complements game, lamb, duck and pork.
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Wine Spectator
Fabulous aromas of blackberry, licorice and flowers. Wonderful nose. Full-bodied, with racy tannins and a long finish. This is powerful and rich. This is very long and velvety. Gorgeous. The winemaker here thinks it could match the great 1990 and 1989. Almost classic quality.
Barrel Sample: 92-94 Points -
Robert Parker's 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...
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The story begins in 1880 when Edouard Amouroux became the owner of the Clos des Oratoriens, a fine vineyard parcel of Syrah vines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It was named after the oratory beside the parcel at Tresquoy.
Located on a protected natural area, Le Prieuré (the winery and château) is an incredible building that is also the guardian of 9.8 acres of vineyards in Côtes-du-Rhône and Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellations.
Over the years, the original vineyard of 49.5 acres has been enriched with new plots from the best terroirs of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, particularly parcels of sand (safres), limestone and red-sand stone to complete the initial blend. Today, total surface is 100 acres. Rolled pebbles bring a great generosity, the Safres provide a touch of elegance, the limestone chips diffuse a delicate minerality and red-sand stone roundness.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Famous for its full-bodied, seductive and spicy reds with flavor and aroma characteristics reminiscent of black cherry, baked raspberry, garrigue, olive tapenade, lavender and baking spice, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the leading sub-appellation of the southern Rhône River Valley. Large pebbles resembling river rocks, called "galets" in French, dominate most of the terrain. The stones hold heat and reflect it back up to the low-lying gobelet-trained vines. Though the galets are typical, they are not prominent in every vineyard. Chateau Rayas is the most obvious deviation with very sandy soil.
According to law, eighteen grape varieties are allowed in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and most wines are blends of some mix of these. For reds, Grenache is the star player with Mourvedre and Syrah coming typically second. Others used include Cinsault, Counoise and occasionally Muscardin, Vaccarèse, Picquepoul Noir and Terret Noir.
Only about 6-7% of wine from Châteauneuf-du-Pape is white wine. Blends and single-varietal bottlings are typically based on the soft and floral Grenache Blanc but Clairette, Bourboulenc and Roussanne are grown with some significance.
The wine of Chateauneuf-du-Pape takes its name from the relocation of the papal court to Avignon. The lore says that after moving in 1309, Pope Clément V (after whom Chateau Pape-Clément in Pessac-Léognan is named) ordered that vines were planted. But it was actually his successor, John XXII, who established the vineyards. The name however, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, translated as "the pope's new castle," didn’t really stick until the 19th century.