About the wine: It's a pretty typical southern nose which appears, with nuances of white flowers and fennel, quite delicious fruit and good depth. The palate is quite broad, with a full heart, but positive bitters arrive at the right time to deliver relief and persistence as well as a hint of carbon.\n \n Producer Information\n It was in 1692 under the aegis of André Alary that the Alary family settled in Cairanne, as evidenced by the municipal archives. Winegrowers on this land from father to son, 10 generations have successively passed down the estate, which has expanded over time. Each generation inherited the same love of vines and wine, the same concern for good cultivation and perfect winemaking. Until the 1900s, the Alary family practiced mixed farming. Raising sheep, silkworms and growing madder complete the work in the vineyard. Frédéric Alary (eighth generation and grandfather of Frédéric and François Alary) decides to devote himself exclusively to the family wine estate. Very invested, this peasant intellectual, otherwise described as a winemaker-historian by the Cairannais, decided against the traditions of the time to vinify his wines by plot. He quickly identified that among his vines, that of Saint-Martin was by far the one with the best terroir. In 1953, plots of land in the locality of Saint-Martin were put up for auction. Courageous, he decides to sell all his vines (except that of Saint-Martin) in order to have enough savings to win the auction. A risky bet, he still relies on the heavens and prays to the good Saint Martin to help him. He promises that if the vines are allocated to him, he will build an oratory in homage to Saint-Martin. History and Providence prove him right. Later, in 1984, his grandchildren Frédéric and François Alary took over the operation. Passionate about wine and their hillsides of Saint-Martin, the two brothers invest body and soul to reveal the best of this terroir. Brilliant craftsmen, they were voted best winegrowers of the year in 1995. Pioneers of organic viticulture in the 1990s and then of biodynamics in 2008, they took the Domaine de l'Oratoire Saint-Martin to the top. In 2020, their children not taking over, Frédéric and François Alary then chose to pass the torch to the Abeille-Fabre family, owner of Château Mont-Redon in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, who are committed to perpetuating the philosophy of field and the work undertaken for 10 generations. Born to pass on their know-how and united by the same passion for wine, the two families are making a smooth transition together with the desire to make Saint-Martin's Oratory shine.
