Clos de l’Oratoire: Vineyards
Clos de l’Oratoire lies to the north-east of the town of St Emilion, not far from the road that runs out eastwards, towards Castillon-la-Bataille. Its nearest neighbour of note is Château Dassault, which lies directly north-west of Château Peyreau and Clos de l’Oratoire, the upper parcels within the Dassault vineyard lying directly contiguous with the lower sections of Clos de l’Oratoire (at least this is how Stephan von Neipperg puts it). Further west and south there are many other notable names, with Château Faurie de Souchard just across the road, beyond that Château Petit Faurie de Soutard, Château Soutard and Château Cap de Mourlin, and to the south Château Haut-Sarpe and Château Clos de Sarpe.
The vineyards have grown a little over the past two decades, and there are now 10.32 hectares of vines all told. These are located on a gentle slope, the soils having an upper layer of sand that is typical as you move away from the limestone plateau on which the town rests. Deeper underfoot there is clay and a bedrock which is limestone or Molasse de Fronsac; this more benevolent terroir is more evident higher up the slope, and naturally there is a greater depth of clay and sand towards the foot of the slope. The soils are of course well suited to Merlot which dominates the vineyard, accounting for 90% of the vines, with 5% each of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon making up the balance. Overall the vines have an average of 35 years.
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