Biodynamic. The Oratoire vineyards are located on steep hills in two climats of Cairanne: Saint-Martin and Les Douyes. This is a blend of 60-plus-year-old vines from both terroirs, mainly from the yellow clay and limestone of Saint-Martin, supplemented with a bit of fruit from their limestone-rich Les Douyes vineyard. The yields can dip as low as 20 hl/ha depending on the vintage.
A blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah, plus a sprinkling of whole-bunch Carignan and Counoise, all the harvest is fermented with indigenous yeast in concrete vats; split between concrete and large-format oak, the wine is matured for 12 months and bottled without fining or filtration. Only a touch of sulphur is used at bottling. The high proportion of Grenache (60%) really sings this year in a velvety, chalky, inky and long release that draws comparison with the finest vintages we have shipped.