Mordoree 2015 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de la Reine des Bois 750ml

Critical Acclaim:

2012 vintage: Inky ruby. High-pitched red and dark berry scents are complemented by suggestions of candied flowers and smoky Indian spices. Silky, sweet and palate-staining, offering intense black raspberry and blueberry flavors and an exotic twist of blood orange. Manages to be both powerful and lithe, finishing with harmonious tannins and outstanding clarity and length. Score: 94 points -- Vinous, Feb 2015

One of the blockbusters in the vintage, the inky-colored 2012 Châteauneuf du Pape La Reine des Bois – 80% Grenache, completely destemmed and aged 12 months in 80% stainless steel and 20% old barrels – offers fantastic richness and depth in its blackberry liqueur, graphite, wood smoke and crushed-rock-like aromas and flavors. An elegant, stylish and polished example of this cuvée, it comes closest in my mind to a lighter-weight 2010. Medium to full-bodied, concentrated and with fine tannin, it will drink well for 10-15 years.

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2014 vintage: More pure, focused and elegant than the La Belle Voyageuse cuvee, the 2014 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvee de la Reine des Bois is reminiscent of the 2006 with it’s beautiful fruit, medium to full-bodied richness, and solid overall concentration and length. Made from 75% Grenache, 14% Mourvèdre, 7% Syrah and 2% each of Counoise and Vaccarese, it saw a 30-day maceration and aging in 70% stainless steel tanks and 30% in barrels. It should be one of the earlier drinking vintages for this cuvée, yet it will still have 10-15 years of overall longevity (which is saying something in this vintage). Score: (92 - 94) points -- Jeb Dunnuck, RobertParker.com, Oct 2015