Lirac La Reine des Bois blanc 2023 Domaine de la Mordorée
€27.00
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Product Details
- Format
- 75 cl
- Region
- VALLEE DU RHONE
- Vintage
- 2023
- Ranking
- VILLAGE
- Appellation
- LIRAC
- Degree
- 14°
- Color
- White
- Country
- FRANCE
- Author
- Adrien
A remarkable purity of fruit, poised between minerality and the perfumes of the South.
The Lirac Blanc La Reine des Bois 2023 from Domaine de la Mordorée is one of the most elegant and accomplished white cuvées of the southern Rhône vineyard, a complex blend of native grape varieties from old vines farmed in biodynamics, rated 93 points by Jeb Dunnuck, 92 by James Suckling and awarded a Gold Medal at Terre de Vins for this 2023 vintage. Its name is poetry and homage, referring to the woodcock, the mordorée in medieval French, the emblematic bird of the estate whose graceful and wild silhouette graces each label and embodies the spirit of a house deeply rooted in its terroir.
Terroir and varieties
Domaine de la Mordorée's vineyard extends across 60 hectares spread across 40 distinct parcels over eight communes of the southern Rhône Valley, Tavel, Lirac, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Condrieu. The vines dedicated to La Reine des Bois blanc are planted on the limestone plateau of Lirac, on the right bank of the Rhône, on soils of river-rolled pebbles over a mix of sands and red clay, a substrate of remarkable richness and complexity, a legacy of Rhône alluvium deposited over millennia, ensuring perfect drainage and imparting to the wines a minerality, generosity and depth that are characteristic. The Lirac appellation, one of the oldest and most southern in the Rhône Valley, benefits from a Mediterranean microclimate tempered by the influence of the mistral, the cold, dry north wind that naturally cleanses the vines and facilitates organic farming. The cuvée is a knowing and complex blend of the great white varieties of the southern Rhône, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Clairette, Viognier, Marsanne and Picpoul, each contributing precise character to the wine's aromatic palette and structure. Vinification is meticulous, with destemming, crushing, skin maceration to extract maximum aroma, temperature control, fermentation 10 percent in oak barrels and 90 percent in stainless steel tanks, a deliberate choice that brings complexity and roundness without ever masking the natural freshness and tension of the terroir. The estate is certified organic and biodynamic Demeter.
Tasting profile
The colour is a limpid, luminous golden green, bright and of fine intensity. The nose is immediately striking in its aromatic richness and elegance, with notes of peach, pear and apricot dominating generously, accompanied by delicate floral touches of verbena, iris and acacia, with a light citrus zest that brings vivacity and precision. The complexity of the 2023 vintage expresses itself through aromatic depth and density that far exceed expectations of a southern Rhône white. On the palate, roundness and elegance assert themselves from the first sip, the texture is silky and generous, the material ample and well balanced, and the acidity fresh and precise, bringing the tension necessary for a harmonious and long whole. The finish is persistent, fruited and subtly mineral, with that return of citrus and flowers that signs the quality of the blend and the excellence of Lirac's terroir. A white both approachable today in all its generosity and capable of lovely evolution over five to seven years.
The estate
Founded in 1986 by Francis Delorme and his son Christophe, Domaine de la Mordorée quickly established itself as one of the great references of the southern Rhône, under the impetus of Christophe Delorme, whose relentless standards and talent propelled the estate's cuvées to the rank of international reference. Since Christophe's death, Madeleine Delorme and her daughter Ambre direct the estate with the same passion and rigour, perpetuating a certified organic and biodynamic viticulture that is among the most advanced in the Rhône vineyard. The estate's great pride is to have recreated a genuine ecosystem around the vines, hedgerows, meadow and pond, to encourage biodiversity and strengthen the natural balance of the vineyard.
Food and wine pairing
This Lirac Blanc La Reine des Bois will pair magnificently with sole meunière in brown butter, scallops with chive cream, grilled lobster with Provençal herbs, poultry in cream with morels, asparagus risotto with Parmesan or line-caught fish in parchment. It will also find fine harmony with pressed and aged cheeses such as 18 month Comté or Beaufort d'alpage. Served between 10 and 12°C, it will reveal all the generosity, freshness and elegance of a great southern Rhône white.
Terroir and varieties
Domaine de la Mordorée's vineyard extends across 60 hectares spread across 40 distinct parcels over eight communes of the southern Rhône Valley, Tavel, Lirac, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Condrieu. The vines dedicated to La Reine des Bois blanc are planted on the limestone plateau of Lirac, on the right bank of the Rhône, on soils of river-rolled pebbles over a mix of sands and red clay, a substrate of remarkable richness and complexity, a legacy of Rhône alluvium deposited over millennia, ensuring perfect drainage and imparting to the wines a minerality, generosity and depth that are characteristic. The Lirac appellation, one of the oldest and most southern in the Rhône Valley, benefits from a Mediterranean microclimate tempered by the influence of the mistral, the cold, dry north wind that naturally cleanses the vines and facilitates organic farming. The cuvée is a knowing and complex blend of the great white varieties of the southern Rhône, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Clairette, Viognier, Marsanne and Picpoul, each contributing precise character to the wine's aromatic palette and structure. Vinification is meticulous, with destemming, crushing, skin maceration to extract maximum aroma, temperature control, fermentation 10 percent in oak barrels and 90 percent in stainless steel tanks, a deliberate choice that brings complexity and roundness without ever masking the natural freshness and tension of the terroir. The estate is certified organic and biodynamic Demeter.
Tasting profile
The colour is a limpid, luminous golden green, bright and of fine intensity. The nose is immediately striking in its aromatic richness and elegance, with notes of peach, pear and apricot dominating generously, accompanied by delicate floral touches of verbena, iris and acacia, with a light citrus zest that brings vivacity and precision. The complexity of the 2023 vintage expresses itself through aromatic depth and density that far exceed expectations of a southern Rhône white. On the palate, roundness and elegance assert themselves from the first sip, the texture is silky and generous, the material ample and well balanced, and the acidity fresh and precise, bringing the tension necessary for a harmonious and long whole. The finish is persistent, fruited and subtly mineral, with that return of citrus and flowers that signs the quality of the blend and the excellence of Lirac's terroir. A white both approachable today in all its generosity and capable of lovely evolution over five to seven years.
The estate
Founded in 1986 by Francis Delorme and his son Christophe, Domaine de la Mordorée quickly established itself as one of the great references of the southern Rhône, under the impetus of Christophe Delorme, whose relentless standards and talent propelled the estate's cuvées to the rank of international reference. Since Christophe's death, Madeleine Delorme and her daughter Ambre direct the estate with the same passion and rigour, perpetuating a certified organic and biodynamic viticulture that is among the most advanced in the Rhône vineyard. The estate's great pride is to have recreated a genuine ecosystem around the vines, hedgerows, meadow and pond, to encourage biodiversity and strengthen the natural balance of the vineyard.
Food and wine pairing
This Lirac Blanc La Reine des Bois will pair magnificently with sole meunière in brown butter, scallops with chive cream, grilled lobster with Provençal herbs, poultry in cream with morels, asparagus risotto with Parmesan or line-caught fish in parchment. It will also find fine harmony with pressed and aged cheeses such as 18 month Comté or Beaufort d'alpage. Served between 10 and 12°C, it will reveal all the generosity, freshness and elegance of a great southern Rhône white.