In the Rhône Valley, the history of L’Oratoire des Papes dates back to the 19th century, the year 1880 to be precise, when Edouard Amouroux was bequeathed by marriage a beautiful vine parcel situated within a Clos. It was named after the oratory located just beneath the parcel in question. By the 1920s, the Amouroux family was already bottling their own Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine from this vineyard parcel. As a tribute to its rich history, the wine’s distinctive label design has remained unchanged since its original design in 1926.

The Estate has prided itself on respecting time-honored wine making traditions while at the same time, incorporating modern techniques to ensure the highest quality wine possible are made each year. In 2006, Clos de l’Oratoire des Papes converted to organic farming and uses a horse-drawn plow to till the vineyard’s soils. After the grapes are hand-harvested, they are transported to the winery in small baskets only to undergo vigorous selection process with a double sorting table. Depending on the vintage, the grapes are then partially (or wholly) destemmed and can be co-fermented with different varieties in order to produce a complex and pedigreed wine.

Today, the estate comprises a total of 100-acres showcasing the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region’s four great soil types: limestone fragments, rolled pebbles, sandy sails, and red sandstone. The iconic estate produces three distinctive wines – a red and white Châteauneuf-du-Pape and a limited release cuvée, “Les Choregies du Clos de L’Oratoire des Papes”, produced only in exceptional years.