The Estate... The Oratoire St. Martin in Cairanne models how I want my wine to be made. The brothers Alary farm organically, and are seeking certification for that enlightened labor. Frederic and Francois make unfiltered reds that accurately express the character of their homeland, wines based on the great grapes of the Rhone valley: Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre. These grapes are grown in the rocky blue clay and limestone-laced soils of their 25-hectare estate. Large amounts of old vines exist on the property; in places the vines are over a century old. Replanting is en massale, a technique that maintains genetic variety in the Oratoire's fields. En Massale means from a crowd, and refers to the selection of cuttings for replanting from the area's existing vines, as opposed to importing clonally identical new plants to accomplish this task. All fruit is harvested by hand and sorted rigorously to remove damaged or under-ripe berries. Fermentation is in large old oak foudres, big, generally old oak barrels. Barrels you could stand up inside, and stretch your arms out without necessarily touching the sides.

The Wine... One of the real joys of tasting wine from this region is the sense of relief, well-being, even fiendish joy that accompanies savoring a wine comparable in style and quality to top-class Chateauneuf-du-Pape or Gigondas for incrementally less cash. Sure, fissures in style exist between the wines of these communes, but I feel essentially comfortable recommending the wines of Frederic's and Francois' stomping grounds to devotees of wine from the aforementioned famous appellations, with a fair amount of certainty that they will be pleased.

A Constant Companion... This vintage marks a decade of Alary wines in my life. A consistent thread through this era has been a steady rise in quality, and a personal sense of satisfaction with every passing purchase that my money was not wasted. Peppered with a sense of melancholy regarding too few bottles cellared in exceptional vintages.