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Domaine de la Mordorée

Châteauneuf-du-Pape – la Reine des Bois

66.80€

A biodynamically grown wine that is partially aged in used oak barrels. Complex black fruit aromas with pepper and a touch of spice. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, the wine has a sumptuous richness without being heavy. Lovely, sweet ripe fruit and fine tannins that build towards the end of the taste. Extremely well balanced. This wine can be drunk after 3 years but is best drunk after 6 years and will age beautifully well past the decade mark.

Style: Red

Grape varieties:75% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, 2% Vaccarese, 3% Counoise.

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Red Wine Grape Varieties

Southern Rhône wines are almost always blended around Grenache to bring balance, complexity and richness of aroma to the wines. Thirteen varietals are permitted. The main varieties are:

Grenache – Medium ruby colour and high alcohol. Delightfully fruity (red fruits) in youth, spice: prune notes with age. Medium dry tannins that soften with age.

Syrah – Deep colour with purple shades. Very tight but velvety tannins giving good ageing potential. Violet and/ or black fruit aromas. With age the aromas evolves towards wild aromas of leather, truffle, and towards liquorice

Mourvèdre – Dark brick red, high tannin brings additional ageing quality to the blend. Sometimes animal notes in its youth become fruity (dark berries, leather, undergrowth, pine, liquorice) and spicy with age.

Cinsault – High proportion in Rosé. Elegant, fruity aromas, light colour and tannin (in reds).

White Wine Grape Varieties

Grenache Blanc – Low acidity giving smoothness and length on the palate with floral aromas and notes of apple and pear.

Clairette – Brings acidity and freshness to the blend. Floral, complex aromas of rose and acacia with notes of white peach and exotic fruit.

Roussanne – Brings finesse and delicacy and a great deal of elegance. Good acidity in the northern Rhône enabling the wine to age well. Complex aromas of honeysuckle with touches of apricot, hawthorn or narcissus.

Bourboulenc – Brings good acidity to the blend. Floral aromas.

Marsanne – Medium acidity, with high aromatic potential in young wines. Complex and subtle floral aromas of acacia, dried fruit and nuts (almond, hazelnut, walnut).

Viognier – Medium colour with low acidity and very fruity (pear) in the Southern Rhône. In the Northern Rhône, it brings suppleness and smoothness. Great aromatic potential – acacia, honeysuckle, violet, almond blossom, linden, and with age, musk, honey and dried apricot.

Terroir: Clay, sand, limestone and large rounded stones across several parcels.

Oak: None

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Oak Flavours

The vast majority of wines in the Southern Rhône are aged in neutral tanks such as concrete and stainless steel in order to preserve the delightful fruity characteristics of Grenache. Where oak is used, it is often only used for a proportion of the blend. The majority of wines in the Northern Rhône however, are aged in oak.

The amount of oak flavour in the wine depends on:

  • The size of the barrel – Less surface area in contact with the wine = less oak flavour
  • The age of the barrel – Less oak is imparted in each subsequent wine.
  • The level of charring (“toast”) and type of oak used by the cooper

The following classifications are used for wines listed on this website:

No Oak – The wine is aged in neutral vats or large, old oak barrels that impart no oak flavours. These wines will be fruit-forward and bright in their early years.

Light Oak – Oak flavours are present but do not dominate the wine when young. The wine may only be partly aged in smaller oak barrels and/or the barrels may have been used for one to three prior wines.

Prominent Oak – Oak flavour is a noticeable feature of the wine, particularly when young. Oak also imparts oak tannins into the wine which can increase the ageing potential of the wine, thus allowing the wine to develop complex aromas over many years.

Drinking time: 4 to 15 years

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Drinking Time

The majority of everyday wines are produced to be drunk within a year, or two of their vintage date. Fine wines that demonstrate a balanced acidity and good tannin structure have the ability to be aged over many years. Oak flavours and red wine tannins soften with age, which allow more complex aromas to develop. Deciding when to drink a fine wine is very much a matter of personal taste. You should drink the wine earlier in its life if you prefer its fruity (“primary”) aromas, accepting that tannins and any oak flavours will be more prominent when the wine is young.

Reviews: VM 95 pts, JD 93-95 pts. See below

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Reviews

The ratings of leading reviewers are listed here with their written comments detailed at the bottom of the page.

Remember that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Each wine reviewer has personal tastes and, as hard as they try, preferences can be reflected in the numerical score a reviewer gives to a wine. This is why is important to read their comments rather than judge a wine by its numerical score.

JR = Jancis Robinson. Score out of 20 points.
RP = Robert Parker, Wine Advocate. Score out of 100 points.
JD = Jeb Dunnuck. Score out of 100 points.
WS = Wine Spectator. Score out of 100 points.
W&S = Wine and Sprits. Score out of 100 points.
WE = Wine Enthusiast. Score out of 100 points.
VM = Vinous Media. Score out of 100 points.
JS= James Suckling. Score out of 100 points.

Shipping costs are calculated per box of 6 bottles. Each box can contain a mixed selection of wines.

Vinous (VM)

2019 vintage (95 points): Deep violet. Vibrant, mineral-accented red/blue fruit preserve scents are complemented by baking spice and potpourri topnotes. Sappy and concentrated on the palate, showing vibrant lift and energy to intense blueberry, cherry cola, floral pastille and spicecake flavors that deepen with air. Finishes sweet, seamless and impressively long, with steadily building tannins adding shape and closing grip. – Josh Raynolds.

 

Jeb Dunnuck (JD)

2019 vintage (93-95 points): The Grand Vin 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape La Reine Des Bois checks in as a blend of 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre, and the rest equal parts Syrah and Vaccarèse. This cuvée is always a denser, more concentrated and structured wine compared to the La Dame Voyageuse release and requires bottle age to show its full potential. Blackberries, black cherries, cracked pepper, and new leather notes are all present in this medium to full-bodied, concentrated, rich, and structured 2020. There’s a firmness here that reminds me a little of the 2005, yet it’s a more up-front, charming wine that will benefit from just short-term cellaring, which is very much in the style of the vintage.

The domaine was established in 1986 by Francis Delorme and his sons Fabrice and Christophe Delorme. The family acquired vineyards over the next 30 years and today the domaine owns 50 ha (124 acres), the majority of which is in Lirac with 9 ha in Tavel, 5 ha in Châteauneuf du Pape and 14 ha in Côtes du Rhône. The vineyards are spread out in Lirac and Tavel, so the wines reflect a diverse range of terroir within each cru.

 

Christophe Delorme, who was the dynamic force behind the meteoric rise in Mordorée’s reputation tragically died at the age of 52. His wife, Madeleine and daughter, Ambre took over the reins and, together with the rest of the team, the domaine continues to produces fresh, stylish wines that are faithful to their diverse terroir.

 

The domaine was certified organic in 2013 and is now certified biodynamic for their reds. Mordorée uses natural yeasts and the wines are fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel. After fermentation, the wines are matured in concrete with a small use of oak barrels for some wines. All the reds show good extraction of colour and tannin.

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