Winery: Domaine de l’Oratoire St. Martin
Wine: 2007 Cairanne Rouge Reserve des Seigneurs
Location: Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne, Southern Rhône
Purchased: The Corkscrew
Price: $24.00

Jonathan and I first sampled this wine at the Rhône wine dinner hosted by The Corkscrew back in October. At that time, we noticed earthiness, slight barnyard, crushed cherries and raspberries on the nose. The palate featured cherries, barnyard and a medium finish. We thought this was a nice wine for the price. For this event, all the wines had been decanted at least two hours in advance so we were curious to see how the wine showed when it was first opened.

In the glass, 2007 Cairanne Rouge Reserve des Seigneurs appeared dark purple and ruby colored. The nose was stronger than I remembered with way more barnyard and poopy smells. We also noticed hay, mushrooms and earth. On the palate, we picked up red fruits, and earth. The wine was quite striking and puckering when it initially hit your palate and needed to be decanted. So we did and let it sit for 45 minutes to an hour. After decanting, the 2007 Cairanne Rouge Reserve des Seigneurs really opened up showing more red fruit on the nose and “controlling” the barnyard aromas. For some the nose would be a total turnoff, but the palate was fantastic and after decanting the nose was more than just barnyard smells. The 2007 Cairanne Rouge Reserve des Seigneurs is a blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah.

Since 1692, ten generations of grape growers have worked in the vineyards at Domaine de l’Oratoire St. Martin. Frédéric and François Alary took over the farm in 1984 and work 25 hectares on the Saint Martin hillsides including the oratoire, built in the middle of the vineyard, which gave its name to the estate. The backbone of the estate are the high percentage of old vines some of which are over a 100 years old. The vineyards mostly contain Grenache (about 60%) and Mourvèdre (about 30%). As for white grapes, Marsanne is the large producer at 50% and Roussanne at 30%.