2018 Domaine De La Mordorée Lirac Rouge ‘La Dame Rousse’

There are 17 distinctive Côtes du Rhône Crus of the Rhône Valley in the sun-drenched South of France.  These are wines that are able to truly express their individual “terroir” enabling producers to label their wines by the name of the Cru.  Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the best known.  Lirac is probably the least well known, is the most southern, and has been an official Côtes du Rhône Cru since 1947.  Here in Lirac, Domaine de la Mordorée, run by the Delorme family, has become one of the top estates in the Rhône, with arguably the most consistent quality. The word ‘Mordorée’, literally ‘bronze’ or ‘golden-brown’ is one of the many poetic names for a woodcock, the symbol of the Domaine.  Christophe Delorme was the founding winemaker but following his untimely death in 2015, the Domaine is in the capable hands of his wife and daughter, Madeleine and Ambre. The whole Domaine has been certified organic since 2007.