1996 Clos de l'Oratoire - Saint Emilion, Bordeaux, France

1996  Clos de l'Oratoire:  An example of the kind of wines produced before the Derenoncourt era. Dark ruby color. The nose is mainly dominated by oak and cedar. Forward  body falling quite sharply by the end. The wine is pleasant but has little concentration. The texture is far less complex than the Clos de l'Oratoire 1997. That's quite surprising as the 1996's are globally supposed to have a better quality.  85/100

1997 Clos de l'Oratoire - Saint Emilion, Bordeaux, France

1997 Clos de l'Oratoire: The first time where Derenoncourt has supervised the wine from the beginning to the end of the growth process. Very bright hue. The nose is characterized by vanilla / oak aromas. Very ample and fruity. Maybe a lack of fat in the middle of the mouth (a general problem with the 1997 vintage). A perfect ripe wine, which actually bodes well with a nice meal. 89/100

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