Clos des Mourres No Vice 2018

Region: Vaison-La-Romaine < Côtes du Rhône <France

Grapes: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre

Vineyard/Cellar stats: Organic and biodynamic; 25 year old vines on chalky clay soils; 3 weeks maceration, co-fermented in concrete 50% destemmed 50% whole cluster.  Aging 8 months in concrete tanks with no fining or filtration; bottled according to the lunar calendar, unfined/unfiltered, with no added SO2; zero-zero; 13% ABV

Winemaker: Jean-Philippe & Ingrid Bouchet

Jean-Phillippe and his wife Ingrid purchased 5 acres in 2009 to start Clos de Mourres, named after a wild lettuce Jean-Philippe used to gather with his grandfather. After harvesting 'mourres' on their farm in the Southern Rhône, they would make a dinner of salad to accompany the other products they grew.  These memories of simpler times with his grandfather inspired Jean-Philippe in his old-school, low intervention work with their domaine.  He says, "We are craftsman farmers, because the term “craftsman” implies that we work manually, but especially farmer, because I chose to work the Earth, and in a natural way. We found an answer and solutions to our personal convictions in Biodynamics: getting healthy and living soils, favoring the exchanges between roots and soils thanks to microorganisms. It is, in our opinion, the only way to get the pure expression of the terroir. All our work is planned according to the lunar calendar, respecting the growth cycles of vines. We spray only concoctions of compost and silica." 

This delicious Côtes du Rhône comes from their vineyards in Vaison la Romaine, a lighter, sandy terroir that soaked up the hot sun in the summer of 2018.  The warmer vintage comes across in the rounder red fruit that leans sour cherry vs. the black fruit in a cooler vintage, with an energetic palate of cherry, cranberry, and cassis. The finish is crisp, dry, and aromatic with lively acidity.  

NOTE: this NAS wine doesn't hold up well the next day, so drink the whole bottle within 4 hours of opening.  It's so good, this won't be a problem.