Clos de l'Oratoire des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Clos de l'Oratoire des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a historically rooted expression of the southern Rhône, produced from a 49.5-acre estate vineyard that surrounds an 18th-century oratory dedicated to St. Mark. The wine draws from organically farmed plots planted primarily to Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre, hand-harvested and sorted twice before partial or whole destemming depending on the vintage. The Amouroux family has owned and bottled this single-site Châteauneuf since the 1920s, maintaining the same label design created in 1926 and converting the entire property to certified organic viticulture in 2006, employing horse-drawn plows to preserve the region's stony galets roulés soils. The estate sits within the appellation that gave Châteauneuf-du-Pape its name, where papal influence during the 14th century established winemaking as a sacred craft. The Amouroux family's stewardship spans four generations, blending traditional methods with modern precision: small-basket transport from vineyard to cellar, rigorous fruit selection, and a practice of co-fermenting different grape varieties in concrete and neutral oak to build aromatic complexity without masking terroir. The horse-drawn tillage preserves microbial life in the topsoil and prevents compaction, allowing the vines' roots to penetrate deep into the clay and limestone beneath the famous river stones that store daytime heat and moderate night temperatures across the growing season. The wine opens with cherry, fig, and morello cherry eau de vie, layered with nutmeg, cocoa, and gentle smoke. The palate is structured by silky tannins and a core of red fruit freshness, balanced by complex spice and a lingering, slightly resinous finish characteristic of old-vine Grenache grown in decomposed limestone. This is a Châteauneuf built for the table: pair it with braised lamb shoulder, duck confit, or aged Comté. The wine rewards an hour in a decanter and will evolve gracefully over the next decade in proper cellar conditions. Clos de l'Oratoire des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape is available now at Off Premise in Lincoln Park for pickup at 1128 W Armitage Ave, local Chicago delivery, or nationwide shipping.