Clos de l'Oratoire 2020

Professional Ratings

• 96 James Suckling

  Some black pepper with crushed stone. Black berries, black cherries, and bark. Medium-bodied with lovely fruit and balance, and a gorgeous finish of peaches and tangerines. Fantastic. Drinkable but will age beautifully.

• 95 Jeb Dunnuck
  This wine seems to always deliver, and I loved the 2020 Clos De L'Oratoire. Lots of black cherries, subtle cassis, notes of lead pencil and violets, medium to full-bodied richness, and a balanced, elegant texture all make for a beautiful Saint-Emilion. It picks up more minerality with time in the glass, and its purity of fruit is top-notch. It will keep for at least two decades.
  Barrel Sample: 93-95
• 92 Decanter
  Confident and grippy with liquorice, cherry, rosemary, dried herbs and chocolate. It lifts and tightens through the plate, good tension, broad-shouldered, powerful and intense. 40% new oak.
• 92 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

  The 2020 Clos de l'Oratoire is seamless and charming, offering up aromas of sweet cherries, blackberries, violets and licorice, followed by a medium to full-bodied, velvety and harmonious palate. This gourmand, Merlot-dominant bottling will offer a wide drinking window. Best After 2023

• 91 Wine Spectator

  Reveals ripe plum and blackberry fruit that meld nicely with hints of anise, black tea and singed alder. The focused and fine-grained finish has a late savory sparkle for range. Merlot and Cabernet Franc.