Clos de l'Oratoire des Papes 2011
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Much more up-front and ready to go, the 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape is comprised of 80% Grenache, 8% Syrah, 7% Mourvedre and the balance Cinsault. Aged 12 months in foudres, it offers textbook Southern Rhone-styled notes of ground pepper, garrigue, leather and sweet red and black fruit to go with a medium-bodied, rich and character-filled profile on the palate. Nicely focused, with good tannin and solid mid-palate depth, it should drink nicely for over a decade (and that’s saying something for an 2011).
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Solid, offering dark plum and blackberry fruit melded with ganache, singed anise and plum pit notes, with a firm feel through the finish.
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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.