Jamie Goode's Wine Blog "A Really Nice Southern Rhône"

Follows an extract from Jamie Goode’s wine blog in which he reviews our Côtes du Rhône Villages Tradition 2007 and Grande Reserve 2006. The 2007 vintage in the Southern Rhône has received many plaudits from the international wine media.

"Domaine de Mourchon Séguret Tradition 2007 Côtes du Rhône Villages, France
14% alcohol, unoaked. A beautiful expression of the southern Rhône, this is a deep coloured wine with lovely sweet, dark cherry, blackberry and plum fruit aromatics, as well as hints of meat and spice. The palate shows lovely sweet, vivid fruit, but with added meat and pepper complexity, adding a deliciously savoury counter to the ripe fruit. It’s dense and well structured, but lush and smooth at the same time. Really successful: modern but interesting, with plenty of non-fruit complexity. 91/100."

The Winemaker's House

The Mourchon gîte which is available for letting on a weekly basis has proved a popular destination especially for wine-loving holiday makers from Europe and the Americas. Pictured here is the swimming pool and the garding adjoining the gîte.

Wine Spectator Insider

Follows the review notes of James Molesworth, the Rhône specialist journalist with the Wine Spectator in which he comments on our 2007 special cuvées and our 2006 Grande Réserve.

Spring in the Vineyard

Spring is with us and the vines are now showing their 2009 leaves and flower buds. An example can be seen here of a Grenache vine – planted during 2004.

Bottling a Special Vintage

Pictured here is the second tranch of bottling for our 2007 vintage Côtes du Rhône Villages Séguret wines during which we completed 11 000 bottles in a short day’s work!

Noisette – Back to Basics with a Horse !

Since the 2006 vintage, we have vinified a parcel of old grenache using open-topped demi-muid barrels (capacity 600 litres) in order to obtain a perfect osmosis between the grape and the barrel. This approach brings out the finesse and elegance of these magnificent grenache vines and this year, we went a little further deciding to work the parcel with a horse called Noisette and its owner Jean-Marc.







In early March, Noisette worked the vines by turning over the earth onto the roots with a ploughshare, going back and forth along each row and then ploughing through the middle area between the vines. The objective is to eliminate chemical weed killers, to keep the ground from compacting, to improve the microbic life of the soil and to equalize the earth levels between the rows.

Thank you, Noisette, for the good work and see you again in the month of May!

Robert Parker Reviews Mourchon's Current Vintages

Here is the current review of the Domaine de Mourchon wines listed in his journal, the Wine Advocate:

"The 2006 Tradition exhibits a dense ruby/purple hue as well as a luscious perfume of blackberries, cherries, earth, pepper, and garrigue. A classic for the region, it is a rich, full-bodied, pure wine to consume over the next 4-5 years. 90

The 2006 Grande Reserve tastes more like a great Chateauneuf du Pape than a Cotes du Rhone-Villages Seguret. There is plenty of tannin, earth, garrigue, spice box, and pepper characteristics as well as oodles of black cherry and black currant fruit. This beautifully complex wine with tremendously expressive aromatics cuts a broad, full-bodied mouthfeel, but do not think it can’t age as it possesses plenty of structure and tannin. It should hit its stride in two years, and last for a decade thereafter. 91

The 2007 Grande Reserve is nearly off the charts for a wine from such a humble appellation. An inky/ruby/purple color is accompanied by thick, rich, cassis, black raspberry, licorice, and lavender aromas, exceptional purity, remarkable concentration, layers of fruit and glycerin, and unreal depth. This sensational Cotes du Rhone-Villages should drink well for a decade. 92-94

Purely Grenache, the 2006 Family Reserve boasts a dense ruby/purple hue in addition to a big, sweet bouquet of kirsch, lavender, pepper, and licorice. Broad, opulent, and fleshy with stunning concentration, purity, and depth, this is another example of an estate that seems to eclipse its previous vintages’ high quality with each new offering. Drink this beauty over the next 7-8 years. 92

I tasted both the Syrah and Grenache components that will make up the 2007 Family Reserve, and they offer further evidence (if any more were needed) that in the southern Rhone, 2007 is a vintage of a lifetime. Unreal layers of flavors (black raspberries, kirsch, blackberries, licorice, garrigue, and subtle smoke) are extravagantly presented in a pure, full-bodied, gorgeously textured, seamless style. 92-95

One of the reference point estates in the southern Cotes du Rhone, Domaine de Mourchon is situated in the charmingly beautiful Provencal hill top village of Seguret. This is a tour de force in winemaking from the Cotes du Rhone-Villages of Seguret. Kudos to Domaine de Mourchon! These splendid cuvees are all worth buying by the caseload."