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. A yield of 32.5hl/ha.

The 2020 Clos de l'Oratoire has a crisp and pure bouquet with blackberry and raspberry fruit mixed with cedar and potpourri. A judicious dose of new oak adds complexity. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and graphite-infused red fruit, with a linear, fresh and almost Left Bank finish. Excellent. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

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.