schiller-wine: Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine de la Mordorée, Tavel, Southern Rhône, with Owner Ambre Delorme and Winemaker Rémy Chauvet - Rhône Valley Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France

Pictures: Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine de la Mordorée, Tavel, Southern Rhône, with Owner Ambre Delorme and Winemaker Rémy Chauvet - Rhône Valley Tour 2018 by ombiasy WineTours: Wine, Culture and History, France

Robert Parker Jr. of The Wine Advocate, who pinned Mordorée as "one of the world’s greatest wine estates" in a 2007 issue of the Wine Advocate:

"With 135 acres spread throughout some of the most impressive appellations of the southern Rhône, Christophe Delorme and his brother...have done nothing but produce one exquisite wine after another. Of course, the top cuvees of Châteauneuf-du-Pape are rare and expensive, but this is a place to find terrific Cotes du Rhones and Liracs as well. Delorme is equally adept at dry whites as well as reds, and turns out some stunning roses both under the Cotes du Rhône and Tavel appellations..."

Unfortunately, in 2015, the remarkably talented Christophe passed away at the age of 52.

Christophe’s legacy and his talent live on through his daughter Ambre, as well as a talented team at Domaine de la Mordoree that includes winemaker Rémy Chauvet, who worked as Christophe’s cellar manager. Last year, Jeb Dunnuck praised the estate for the quality of their first vintage without Christophe, saying the Domaine was “obviously still in incredibly capable hands.”

Owner Ambre Delorme was our host. She toured with us the winemaking facilities, where we also met Winemaker Rémy Chauvet and tasted with us the wines of Domaine de la Mordoree.

Pictures: Cellar Tour and Tasting at Domaine de la Mordorée, Tavel, Southern Rhône, with Owner Ambre Delorme and Winemaker Rémy Chauvet

Domaine de la Mordorée, Tavel, Southern Rhône

This domaine came into being in 1986 and the first wine was produced by Christoph Delorme in 1987. Up until that time the estate had been little more than a hobby for his father Francis Delorme, an industrialist with two great passions; shooting and wine. Christoph’s brother Fabrice joined the business in 1999 and it did not take them long to project this estate into the Premier League. Domaine de la Mordorée is one of the more widely dispersed domains in the Southern Rhône. Their 100 acres of vineyards are in Tavel (16 acres), in Lirac (36.5 acres of top notch plots), 40 acres generic Côte du Rhône, and 7,5 acres in Châteauneuf du Pape. The wines are dvided in two lines in most appellations, the introductory cuvée ‘La Dame Rousse’, and the top cuvée ‘La Reine des Bois’. In some very good vintages they also produce a super cuvée –only in Châteauneuf du Pape- ‘La Plume du Peintre’ from 100 year old Grenache vines.

Pictures: Annette Schiller with Madeleine Delorme, Ambre Delorme and Rémy Chauvet

Winery Acreage: 135 acres (55 hectares)

The vineyard consists of 55 hectares on 38 different parcels, which provide with a rich, wide range of soils and climates. The soil is a mix of clay, chalk and sand with pebble stones.

The soils are the result of millions of years of plate tectonics, climate changes, the growth and melting of glaciers, submersion by seas, lakes or huge rivers. All those events contributed to the formation of successive layers, the vineyards striking their roots only in the last top meters.

Varietals Produced: Red: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Vaccarese, Counoise, Carignan
White: Grenache, Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne, Picpoul, Clairette , Bourboulenc, Picpoul Gris

Winemaker: Rémy Chauvet

Pictures: Cellar Tour at Domaine de la Mordorée, Tavel, Southern Rhône, with Owner Ambre Delorme and Winemaker Rémy Chauvet

TAVEL - Domaine de la Mordoree's vineyards are located on the Vallongue plateau, in the villages of Palai, Roquanaute and Romagnac. They are planted with 60% Black Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre, Syrah and Cinsault, 5% Bourboulenc and White Clairette.

CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE - vineyards are located in the villages of La Crau, la Nerthe, Cabrières, Le Bois de la Ville. They are planted with 70% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre, 5% Cinsault, 5% Counoise, 5% Syrah, 5% Vaccarese.

LIRAC - vineyards are located mainly in the plateaus of Lirac and Tavel, Les Baumes, as well as an area called Les Châtaigniers, meaning the chestnut trees, which are quite unusual in those areas.

COTES-DU-RHONE - soils are made up mainly of pebbles, clay, stones, broken-stone deposits.

CONDRIEU - vineyards lie on the eastern slopes of the Massif Central. A single variety wine - Viognier. The appellation is named after the commune of Condrieu, meaning a corner (coin) of land where two streams meet (rieu, akin to the Spanish rio).

Pictures: Tasting at Domaine de la Mordorée, Tavel, Southern Rhône, with Owner Ambre Delorme and Winemaker Rémy Chauvet

Wine Advocate Issue 227: "Since the untimely death of Christophe Delorme last year, the winemaking at Domaine de la Mordorée has fallen to Rémy Chauvet, who was the cellar manager under Christophe for a number of years. Based on these 2015 barrel samples, the estate is obviously still in incredibly capable hands. - Jeb Dunnuck" - Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (Issue 227, October 28th 2016)

Wine Advocate Issue 215: "I've yet to see these guys put a foot wrong, and regardless of the vintage, they're able to make superb wines. In addition to their terrific Châteauneuf du Papes, they continue to raise the quality of their Lirac and Côtes du Rhône releases. Also, while these all have the ability to drink nicely on release, they age beautifully. - Jeb Dunnuck" - Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (Issue 215, October 2014)

The Wines Ambre Delorme Poured

Ambre poured 7 wines.

Les Rosés‎

2017 Domaine de la Mordorée, Tavel, La Dame Rousse

"Crushed stone, lime and strawberries aromas appear on the nose of the 2017 Tavel La Dame Rousse. Plump and medium-bodied, it shows excellent concentration and admirable persistence on the finish. I've had better vintages of this wine, but it's remarkably consistent from year to year. - Joe Czerwinski" - Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (June 15th 2018), 90 pts

2017 Domaine de la Mordorée, Tavel, La Reine des Bois

"Bold, intense and flavorful, the 2017 Tavel La Reine des Bois continues to set the standard for the appellation. It's a rich, full-bodied rosé, with lush, mouth-filling flavors of cherries, raspberries and white chocolate, underscored by lime zest and refreshing brine notes. The price is creeping up, but it remains a benchmark in terms of quality. - Joe Czerwinski" - Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (June 15th 2018), 93 pts

Les Rouges

2017 Domaine de la Mordorée, Vin de France, La Remise Sans Souffre

40% Marselan (Marselan is a cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache), 40% Merlot, 20% Grenache

2016 Domaine de la Mordorée, Lirac, La Dame Rousse

"Plush layers of preserved plum and cherry are speckled by darker tones of licorice, granite and dried earth in this plump, enveloping red. Full bodied and rippling like silk, it's a powerful yet open-knit wine with a soft, cocoa-powder finish. Enjoy now–2023. - ANNA LEE C. IIJIMA" - Wine Enthusiast (March 2019), 92 pts

2016 Domaine de la Mordorée, Lirac, La Reine des Bois

"Violet and licorice candy lend spice and perfume to this plump, penetrating blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. It's loaded with sun-kissed cherry flavor but shaded by umami notes of mushroom and leather too. Luscious but sleek, this polished wine is marked by fine, feathery tannins. Ready now it should improve through 2026. - ANNA LEE C. IIJIMA" - Wine Enthusiast (March 2019), 93 pts, Editor's Choice

La Dame Voyageuse is a more approachable version of the La Reine des Bois. It is meant to be enjoyable early compared to her sister Cuvée which is made for the long run.

Color : deep ruby red, opaque.
Aromas : red fruits, changing to touches of leather, black truffles and coffee.
Palate : fat, concentrated and full flavored with a very long liquoriced and fruity finish.
Ageing potential : 6 to 10 years.

2016 Domaine de la Mordorée, Châteauneuf du Pape, La Reine des Bois

"I tasted several components of what will likely become the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape La Reine des Bois, all of which were remarkable. A Syrah from vat was stunning, offering flamboyant blueberries and spice along with silky tannins, while a Grenache component from barrel was incredibly rich and layered. I suspect my projected score is conservative. - Joe Czerwinski" - Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (Issue 233, October 31st 2017), 94-96 pts

Le Blanc

2016 Domaine de la Mordorée, Condrieu

Domaine de la Mordorée owns the vineyards in the condrieu appellation. The vineyard was abandonned back in the 1960 as the work couldn't be done by machine. Christophe Delorme found some old plantings of Viognier in the middle of the growing vegatation that took over the piece of property. The planting was completly redone in 2004.