Cairanne domaine with Alary family roots, biodynamic hillsides, and red and white Réserve des Seigneurs wines.
The producer
Domaine Oratoire St Martin is a Cairanne domaine with Alary family roots reaching back to 1692. The 25 hectare estate lies wholly in Cairanne village and farms organically and biodynamically. Its named wines are Réserve des Seigneurs in red and Réserve des Seigneurs Blanc in white. The red uses Grenache Noir, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Carignan and Counoise, with wild yeast fermentation and vat ageing. The white uses Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne and Marsanne.
Known for
Cairanne red and white wines
Notable facts
The Alary family settled in Cairanne in 1692 under André Alary.
The vineyards sit at approximately 200 meters on steep hillsides in an area locally called the mountain.
The domaine began organic farming in the 1990s and moved to biodynamic viticulture in 2008.
Réserve des Seigneurs Red is matured 9 to 12 months in vats and bottled without fining or filtering.
The story
The 2020 Handover
In 2020, Frédéric and François Alary faced a family succession question because their children did not take over the domaine. They chose to pass the torch to the Abeille-Fabre family, owners of Château Mont-Redon in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The decision ended the Alary family’s direct stewardship after ten generations and placed the Cairanne estate with a new family. The transition was presented as preserving the domaine’s philosophy, while its future direction under the new stewardship remained unspecified.
From the atlas
Domaine Oratoire St Martin
A Cairanne domaine with Alary family roots, biodynamic farming, and red and white Réserve des Seigneurs wines.
At A Glance
Place
Cairanne, Rhône
Estate
Domaine Oratoire St Martin
Farming
Organic and biodynamic viticulture
Bottles
Réserve des Seigneurs red and Réserve des Seigneurs Blanc
The Producer
The Alary family settled in Cairanne in 1692 under André Alary. Ten successive generations managed the estate. Domaine Oratoire St Martin covers 25 hectares, all in Cairanne village. Organic farming began in the 1990s. The domaine converted to biodynamic viticulture in 2008 and has operated biodynamically since 2012.
The current range includes Réserve des Seigneurs, a Cairanne red, and Réserve des Seigneurs Blanc, a Cairanne white.
Place
Most of the vineyards lie in northeastern Cairanne, at approximately 200 meters on steep hills in the localities of Saint Martin, Les Douyes and Coustias. Local speech calls this area “the mountain”. Altitude and slope affect vine growth: higher ground generally slows ripening and preserves acidity, while sloping land sheds water more readily.
Both current wines carry Cairanne as their appellation, linking the red and white bottles to the same hillside village.
Wines
The red Réserve des Seigneurs is the 2022 Cairanne wine in the range. It uses 40% Grenache Noir, 30% Mourvèdre, 20% Syrah, 5% Carignan and 5% Counoise. Grapes are sorted by hand in the vineyard and cellar, destemmed without crushing, and fermented with wild yeasts for 2 to 3 weeks. Carignan is fermented with whole clusters. The wine ages 9 to 12 months in vats and is bottled without fining or filtering.
The white Réserve des Seigneurs Blanc is the 2024 Cairanne wine, made from 30% Clairette, 30% Grenache Blanc, 30% Roussanne and 10% Marsanne. The red shows red fruit and blonde tobacco, with smooth tannins and a spicy, peppery finish. Its drinking window is 2 to 6 years. The white brings white flowers and citrus, a delicate, crisp palate, minerality, and a refreshing finish of fruit with white flesh.
Final Word
Domaine Oratoire St Martin farms Cairanne hillsides biodynamically and makes Réserve des Seigneurs wines in both red and white, keeping the current range within one village address.