Pre-landing offer: 2021 L'Oratoire Rosé
Made by the owners of Château Talbot, our excellent L'Oratoire Provence rosé from Domaine Saint Andrieu has grown in popularity with our customers in recent years, to the point where a six-bottle case slung under the arm was in danger becoming a fashion accessory for visitors to Aldeburgh last summer!
The latest 2021 release is paler, fresher and slightly 'cooler' than the preceding two vintages. It's the kind of vintage we love and we are really looking forward to it arriving in May. Here is our (now-traditional) pre-landing offer, always the most advantageous way to buy your stocks for the summer ahead, at just £85 per dozen in bond when you buy 3+ cases.
This year for the first time, we also tasted samples of the domaine's 2020 Blanc and 2017 Rouge, both made in much smaller quantities and hard to come by. The red is a blend of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, matured in barrels previously used at Talbot. The white is from Rolle, the Provencal name for Vermentino, found all around this part of the Mediterranean. Do take a look at the notes below and maybe add some to your rosé order.
Offered pre-landing, expected May 2022.
Producer Profile
Domaine Saint Andrieu, Provence
Domaine Saint Andrieu is in an achingly beautiful setting, in the foothills of the Alps, a few kilometres north of the medieval town of Brignolles (an ancient capital of Provence). This is the heart of the Coteaux Varois En Provence AOC. The limestone soils here give the rosés more structure than is generally found in wines from nearer the coast.
Nancy Bignon-Cordier bought the domaine in 2003, with 30 hectares of vines and olive trees set amongst the larger 600 hectare estate of woodland and garrigue. Cordier and her winemaker Gregior Guibergia (below) bring all the expertise and technical know-how you would expect from the owners of the great Bordeaux names of Châteaux Talbot and Sénéjac.
The winery is gravity-fed and the parcels of Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah and Rolle grapes are vinified in small batches, with an extremely delicate pressing for the rosé; in fact the first 70% of the juice runs freely from the grapes, under their own weight (known as the 'jus de goutte'), with minimal skin contact.
