Domaine de Mourchon 2006 Cotes du Rhone Villages-Seguret Tradition
Subscribe to Cynthia’s free newsletter
Walter in his hilltop vineyards at Domaine de Mourchon
"This is the best estate today in Seguret, and they continue to take the quality of their Cotes du Rhone to an exciting level. Of course, Grenache is the base for these wines. They are gorgeously made, pure, rich, beautifully textured, savory, and everything a wine in Provençe should be. All of this can be attributed to Englishman Walter McKinlay, who purchased 40+ acres in 1998. It is amazing how quickly he has become a superstar in Seguret. The aging process here is relatively simple, with the wines kept in both concrete vats and oak casks. There is 100% destemming." - Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate
"De Mourchon is amongst the most interesting 5% of wine made today." - Jancis Robinson
Every year Parker bestows the big grades on the de Mourchon Rhones. The wines came to his attention several years ago and he can't get enough of them. The 2006, which was a splendid vintage in the Rhone, is no exception.
Not too long ago, I remember sinking into a chair on Walter and Ronnie McKinlay's terrace, taking in the Rhône surroundings and finally closing my jaw, which had been hanging open. The vines were slightly below us in soldierly rows, stretching into the distance on gently rounded hills. The vines seemed far away and, at the same time, all-enveloping. There were rows upon rows and hills upon hills, all frosted in a sagey hue.
Walter and Roni McKinlay have owned Domaine de Mourchon since 1998 when Walter, a Scotsman, sold his computer business and decided he wanted to own a vineyard. Sometimes, he pulls a long face and leans in conspiratorially to share that owning a vineyard was perhaps more work than he had initially had in mind, but how can I really ache for him when he has made such a stunning success out of it all?
Séguret is a small village clinging to a hillside in the southern Rhône Valley not too far north of Avignon. The first vines were planted here in the 13th century. There are about twenty vineyard areas in the southern Rhône that are officially allowed to add their name to their label due to superior terroir. Séguret is one of these privileged villages.
The winery is a modern beauty with shiny stainless steel tanks configured in a circle in one room. This winery is state of the art with table de tri for sorting every grape carefully to make sure there are no inferior ones in the final blend, and designed to use gravity to pamper the grapes as they transfer to the vat.
Then there is the tasting room, which is sun-splashed and painted in Provençal hues of dusty pinks and earthy tones. It's very hard to leave this place. Waves of relaxing Provençal welcome wash over you as you stand with your glass of minerally and dark-hued Cotes du Rhone Villages Seguret Tradition in your hand. The cherries, black and red, waft from the glass.
Domaine de Mourchon is situated in the hills at approximately 300m of altitude behind the limestone crags on which the village of Séguret is perched. As you ascend the winding road up the hill to the vineyard the predominance of limestone gives way to a gray marl giving the landscape a crumbly blue base.
The vines are planted on steep, narrow terraces which face mostly south-east and south-west. On the top of the gray marl base is a thin layer of dense stony limestone and clay topsoil. Because of the friable nature of the marl, the roots of the vine are able to go deep in their search for water during the hot, dry summers and be protected from drought stress, but more than that the vines profit from the rich selection of trace elements found at such depths which impart minerality to the wine.
Remember, Rhones are for the summer when the steaks and hamburgers are sizzling on the grill. These are wines that will enhance any food. They are smooth and fragrant. After a few glasses you'll be planning your next trip to Provençe. Cynthia Hurley
Comments