Domaine de la Mordoree was founded in 1986 by father and son Fabrice and Christophe Delorme. The domaine quickly expanded from the initial 5 hectare plot to 57 hectares spread across different areas in the Southern Rhone, including Tavel, Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Lirac. In addition to the physical expansion of Domaine de la Mordoree, the domaine’s popularity grew over this time too and soon became a benchmark estate in the region. This was largely due to the vision and passion of Christophe Delorme. Sadly Christophe passed away in 2015, however the Delorme family continue to run the estate today with his wife and daughter, Madeleine and Ambre, at the helm.
Started by Christophe in 2010, the domaine began to move towards organic viticulture. The wines were certified as organic in 2013 and since 2020 all of its vineyards are certified as biodynamic. The team continues to follow Christophe’s principles and respect for the terroir both in the vineyards and in the cellar, in order to maintain the highest standards of the wines. This is overseen by the cellar master, Remy Chauvet, who worked alongside Christophe and shares his vision. The grapes are handpicked and completely destemmed upon arrival in the winery, before undergoing a long maceration and fermentation of 30 days with temperature control. The wines are then matured in a mixture of stainless steel vats and old oak barrels; the domaine avoids the use of new oak as to preserve the purity of the fruit.
The domaine is named after a woodcock which was also adopted as the domaine’s symbol and is seen on their bottles. It is perhaps best known for its delicious Tavel rose but equally produces outstanding cuvees such as Cuvee de la Reine des Bois from Chateauneuf-du-Pape. This premier wine is only produced in the best vintages from the estate’s 50 year old Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah vines as well as some other permitted varieties. From across the domaine’s vast portfolio of vineyards in the Southern Rhone they are renowned for rich concentrated wines which are full of fruit and delicious to drink young, but can also be cellared, expressing over the years the breed of their terroirs.