Clos de l'Oratoire 2009

Wild nose of flowers, sweet tobacco and ripe fruit, follow through to a full body, with velvety tannins and a juicy finish. Firm tannins, yet fresh finish. Try after 2018.

Score: 93 James Suckling Maturity: 2018+ Date: Wednesday 15 February 2012

Tasted at Canon-la-Gaffeliere, cropped at just 20hl/ha between 7th and 12th October, a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, this has an opulent bouquet with pure black cherries, black plum, a touch of wet sand and a hint of cooked meat. The palate is medium-bodied with creamy new oak, quite plush, modern, but very seductive with a hint of savoury fruit, perhaps even a touch of dried salami towards the finish that adds another level of intrigue. Very fine. Tasted March 2010.

Score: 90 - 92 Neal Martin, erobertparker.com Date: Wednesday 21 April 2010

The 2009 Clos de l’Oratoire, a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc that achieved 13.5% natural alcohol, exhibits an inky/ruby/purple color along with a big, sweet nose of incense, blackberries, blueberries, cedar, and spice box. Rich, opulent, and full-bodied, this offering is a complete turn-on that should provide enormous pleasure over the next 10-15 years. (Tasted four times.) Stefan von Neipperg’s 25-acre St.-Emilion estate (planted in clay and limestone) had slight hail damage, which resulted in somewhat smaller yields (28 hectoliters per hectare).

Score: 91 - 93 Robert Parker, Wine Advocate Maturity: 2010-25 Date: Thursday 01 April 2010