Cairanne is a picturesque hilltop village in the southern Rhône Valley, and is considered at the top of the several villages allowed to use the "Côtes du Rhône Villages" classification. The other top CDR villages include Rasteau and Seguret. Generally speaking, a “Côtes du Rhône Villages”—particularly from these three communes—has more class, complexity, and concentration than a straight Côtes du Rhône appellation and stricter standards prevail in terms of lower yields and alcoholic minimums. The best Cairanne wines (like the ones from Oratoire) can rival nearby Châteauneuf du Papes—at half the price.

Vineyard work at Domaine de L’Oratoire is organic, although the Alary brothers may prefer the term traditional, since they just continue to plow as their father did and his father before him and so on. They use no pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers; they plow every other row to deepen the root system, and the second row is sown with grass that competes with the vines and reduces their vegetation.

The Alarys farm a patchwork of vineyards in both red and white grapes. Given the diversity of soils and expositions, different varietals are matched with their optimum terroirs. The grapes are vinified seperately according to their parcel of origin and raised in a variety of vessels, mostly Barriques but also in medium-sized demi-muids, and larger glass-lined tanks. Their contents are later blended to make the various cuvées of the estate.

Robert Parker wrote that this domaine “is one of the southern Rhône Valley's most conspicuous overachievers, making wines that are far above their humble appellations.... This is the type of estate that brings smiles to consumers who happen upon their wines. They are reasonably priced and qualitatively equivalent to wines selling at two or three times the price.”

The ‘03 is a blend of 60% Mouvedre, 20% Syrah, and 20% Grenache. These 60-year-old vines thrive in a limestone- and clay-based soil and produce 30 hectoliters per hectare. The grapes are harvested, sorted and destemmed by hand. Next, the wine undergoes fermentation with pigeage, which means that the winemaker punches the cap of grape skins down into the vat to attain greater extraction. This process lasts for 18 days. The wine then rests in oak for 24 months before being bottled without filtration.

This Côte du Rhône has a dark red, nearly purple color and carries lovely aromas of violets and nutmeg on its fruit-driven nose. The dense body of this elegant wine is loaded with spicy, peppery fruit and is backed by rich acidity and silken tannins. Ideal with roasted leg of lamb. Drink now or hold for another 10 years.

—Donald

“Ruby-red. Blackberry, cassis, truffle and dark chocolate aromas complicated by a whiff of tar. Silky and sweet, with the ripe berry flavors displaying a sappy quality and an elegance that's impressive for the vintage. This mourvedre-dominated blend, from vines nearly 70 years of age, finishes with a clinging flavor of fresh cassis.” —IWC 90