2002 Clos de l'Oratoire

A very good effort for the vintage, this is a seductive, fleshy, medium-bodied St.-Emilion revealing notions of smoked herbs, black currants, cherries, licorice, and incense. Enjoy this fragrant, medium-bodied, soft 2002 over the next 6-8 years.

One of the most forward wines of all, almost all Merlot and utterly charming even if not for the long term. Some brick at the rim already. Very light and fresh on the nose. A charming, relatively relaxed, unambitious wine that is quite happy to dance on the palate and does not seek to yearn for greatness. Just medium weight. (JR)

Ruby-red. Blackcurrant, black cherry and bitter chocolate on the aromatic nose. Then sweet and supple but unconvincing in the mouth, with a slight hollowness. Conveys an impression of dilution. Finishes with dusty tannins. This should probably be drunk in the first four or five years after its release. This water-retentive site, not surprisingly, produced a totally different style of wine in the heat of 2003.