Domaine de la Mordorée

Domaine de la Mordorée was created in 1986 by Francis Delorme and his son Christophe. Their initial holdings were 12 acres of vines in Tavel inherited by Christophe's mother in the 1970s, and Christophe's brother Fabrice joined the domaine in 1999. The estate takes its name from the woodcock: in French, a mordorée is another name for a bécasse, and the bird is the estate's emblem. The company is a société civile, Domaine de la Mordorée, with its registered office on the Chemin des Oliviers in Tavel.

• Created in 1986 by Francis Delorme and his son Christophe
• Initial holdings: 12 acres of vines in Tavel, inherited by Christophe's mother in the 1970s
• Fabrice Delorme, Christophe's brother, joined in 1999
• Legal form: société civile, registered office in Tavel, represented by Ambre Delorme

The domaine is managed by Madeleine Delorme, Christophe's wife, and their daughter Ambre, who continue the work Christophe began with the team he formed. Ambre Delorme represents the société civile and is the estate website's director of publication. Christophe Delorme (d. 2015) co-founded the estate with his father, Francis, and first developed the La Plume du Peintre range.

• Madeleine Delorme, Christophe's wife: manages the domaine
• Ambre Delorme, their daughter: manages the domaine and represents the société civile
• Christophe Delorme (d. 2015): co-founder; first developed La Plume du Peintre

The vineyard is divided into 38 plots spread over 8 communes, with the cellar in Tavel. In Châteauneuf-du-Pape, La Reine des Bois comes from the Plateau de la Crau, on clay-siliceous soil with rolled pebbles (galets roulés), where the estate has some very old vines. The Tavel La Reine des Bois comes from the Plateau de Vallongue, a Villafranchian terrace of rolled pebbles on a sandy-clay base, while La Dame Rousse Tavel blends several terroirs: rolled pebbles, limestone slabs (lauzes) and sandy soils. The Condrieu comes from granite terraces, and the Côtes-du-Rhône from varied sandy or sandy-clay terroirs with limestone gravel. Yields, reduced by green harvesting, vary between 25 and 45 hl/ha. Tavel itself produces rosé only and was awarded AOC status in 1936.

• 38 plots in 8 communes; cellar in Tavel
• Châteauneuf-du-Pape: Plateau de la Crau, clay-siliceous soil with rolled pebbles
• Tavel: Plateau de Vallongue for La Reine des Bois; rolled pebbles, limestone slabs and sand for La Dame Rousse
• Condrieu: granite terraces
• Yields of 25 to 45 hl/ha

Organic conversion began in 2010, and the wines have been certified organic since 2013, all except the Condrieu. The entire vineyard moved to HVE level 3 (High Environmental Value) in 2019 and has been certified biodynamic by Demeter since 2020. Old, untrained vines are pruned in gobelet and recent trellised vines in cordon de Royat. Topping is kept to a minimum for most vines and eliminated for Mourvèdre to keep as much leaf area as possible. Against grape worms, the estate uses either bacteria harmless to humans and warm-blooded animals or pheromone capsules for mating disruption. Harvest is entirely by hand, with more than 100 ripeness checks before and during harvest across the 38 plots and a second sort on the harvest trailer.

• 2010: organic conversion begins
• 2013: wines certified organic (all except the Condrieu)
• 2019: entire vineyard HVE level 3
• 2020: entire vineyard certified Demeter biodynamic
• Gobelet pruning for old vines, cordon de Royat for trellised vines
• 100% hand harvest across the whole estate

The Tavel, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Côtes-du-Rhône cuvées and the Lirac La Reine des Bois and La Dame Rousse are vinified with indigenous yeasts and limited sulfites. The Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Reine des Bois is destemmed and crushed, macerated for up to 30 days under temperature control, and aged 20% in barrels and 80% in tank. The Lirac La Reine des Bois rouge is aged 15% in barrels and 85% in tank, the Lirac La Reine des Bois blanc 10% in barrels and 90% in tank, and the Lirac La Plume du Peintre wines 100% in barrel. Both Tavel cuvées are destemmed, crushed and given a cold maceration, and the Côtes-du-Rhône rosé is made by saignée.

• Indigenous yeasts and limited sulfites
• Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Reine des Bois: maceration up to 30 days; 20% barrel, 80% tank
• Lirac La Reine des Bois rouge: 15% barrel, 85% tank; blanc: 10% barrel, 90% tank
• Lirac La Plume du Peintre: 100% barrel
• Tavel: destemming, crushing and cold maceration

In Tavel, the estate makes La Reine des Bois, its emblematic cuvée since the domaine's creation, from Grenache, Syrah, Clairette and Cinsault, and La Dame Rousse from Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah and Clairette. In Châteauneuf-du-Pape it makes La Reine des Bois and La Dame Voyageuse, both from Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Counoise and Vaccarèse. The Lirac range comprises La Reine des Bois blanc and rouge, La Dame Rousse rouge, and La Plume du Peintre blanc and rouge. The Condrieu, 100% Viognier, is the Christophe Delorme cuvée. The Côtes-du-Rhône Domaine de la Mordorée comes in red and rosé, and the Vin de France range includes La Remise de la Mordorée in red, red without added sulfites, white and rosé, and Les Bulles de la Mordorée, a sparkling pétillant naturel rosé. La Plume du Peintre is made only in exceptional vintages: in Châteauneuf-du-Pape in 2003, 2005, 2019 and 2022, in Lirac rouge in 2012 and 2016, in Lirac blanc in 2017 and 2023, and in Tavel in 2019, 2022 and 2023.

• Tavel: La Reine des Bois, La Dame Rousse
• Châteauneuf-du-Pape: La Reine des Bois, La Dame Voyageuse
• Lirac: La Reine des Bois blanc and rouge, La Dame Rousse rouge, La Plume du Peintre blanc and rouge
• Condrieu: Christophe Delorme (100% Viognier)
• Côtes-du-Rhône: Domaine de la Mordorée red and rosé
• Vin de France: La Remise de la Mordorée (red, red without added sulfites, white, rosé) and Les Bulles de la Mordorée

The estate gives its aim as 'very concentrated wines with perfectly blended tannins, dense matter, full-bodied and fruity, already delicious young but with a great ageing potential,' and holds that its wines 'have a lot of character and are easily recognizable.' In a Decanter piece last updated in February 2025, Matt Walls found that the La Crau parcel behind La Plume du Peintre Châteauneuf 'delivers particularly structured, powerful wines', and that the 2019 and 2022 are 'more approachable and precise' than the 2003 and 2005.

• The estate's stated aim: concentrated, dense, full-bodied and fruity wines, delicious young with ageing potential
• Decanter's Matt Walls (updated February 2025): the 2019 and 2022 La Plume du Peintre Châteauneuf are more approachable and precise than the 2003 and 2005

The estate shop in Tavel is open Monday to Saturday for tastings. The Villa d'Ambre, renovated in 2013 by Christophe Delorme, is rented by the week and sleeps up to 12 people in 6 bedrooms, 10 minutes from Avignon.

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.domaine-mordoree.com/en/the-domain/, https://www.domaine-mordoree.com/le-domaine/, https://www.domaine-mordoree.com/en/our-wines/, https://www.domaine-mordoree.com/nos-vins/, https://www.domaine-mordoree.com/vins/tavel/, https://www.domaine-mordoree.com/vins/lirac/, https://www.domaine-mordoree.com/vins/chateauneuf-du-pape/, https://www.domaine-mordoree.com/vins/cotes-du-rhone/, https://www.domaine-mordoree.com/vins/condrieu/, https://www.domaine-mordoree.com/vins/vin-de-france/, https://www.domaine-mordoree.com/la-villa/, https://www.domaine-mordoree.com/mentions-legales/, https://www.domaine-mordoree.com/en/2023/09/27/for-the-love-of-the-earth/. Secondary sources: Wine Spectator (James Molesworth, 15 June 2015); Decanter (Matt Walls, last updated 24 February 2025), https://www.decanter.com/premium/matt-walls-domaine-de-la-mordorees-la-plume-du-peintre-then-and-now-550447/; Inter Rhône, https://www.vins-rhone.com/en/cotes-du-rhone-cru-aoc-tavel. Last verified 2026-10-14. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.