WINE OF THE WEEK: Domaine de Mourchon Grande Réserve 2020, Séguret Côtes du Rhône Villages, France

£20, The Wine Society

I have a soft spot for the wines of Séguret, one of the 22 villages in the Côtes du Rhône-Villages appellation that, in recognition of their quality and distinctive character, can add the name of the village to the appellation, as in Séguret Côtes du Rhône Villages.

I also have a particular soft spot for the wines of Domaine de Mourchon, an estate created by the McKinlay family when they bought mature vineyards in 1998 high on a limestone outcrop below Mont Ventoux, north of Gigondas. There was no winery (or house), but by 2000 they had built a modern, gravity-flow winery. And they've never looked back.

The wines are deep coloured, generous and powerful, but they also have purity, focus and energy. Grande Réserve Séguret 2020 is sumptuous and spicy with an aroma of sun-warmed black figs and blackberries, a palate of luscious fruit wrapped in cappuccino creaminess and a finish that balances the richness and concentration with a dab of bitter chocolate and savoury, spicy, bay-leaf freshness.

This 2020 is ready to drink now but will continue on its complex journey for at least six or seven years.

The blend is 65% Grenache and 35% Syrah from vines with an average age of more than 65 years – older than usual because the yields were too low in 2020 to make the Family Grenache and Family Syrah – wines that normally take the fruit of the oldest vines. Grande Réserve – aged in once-used 600-litre barrels and tighter-grained Austrian oak – was the beneficiary.

Three other features of 2020 were that the estate was certified organic, they started converting to biodynamics and so didn’t add any yeast, and winemaker Sebastien Magnouac used a new air-pulse device that's gentler than conventional pumping over (it also freed him up to do other things in the cellar).

As for the vintage itself, low yields aside, the 2020 vintage was, says Kate McKinlay, “a walk in the park” – certainly compared to 2024, but that's another story.

At this time of year, Séguret Grande Réserve falls in step with casseroles, cassoulets, tagines, daubes, pies, ragùs and roasts (beef, lamb, venison, pork, wild boar, goose), with root vegetables, pumpkins, other squashes and vegetarian stuffed aubergines, and with meaty and spicy sausages (bring on the toad-in-the-hole). It can also be paired with hard cheeses, such as Parmesan, Manchego, Ossau Iraty and Mimolette, even if you might be able to find a match. And it’s certainly not a wine you need forget about in summer, but we’re a long way off that. 15.5%

Domaine de Mourchon Grande Réserve Séguret Côtes du Rhône 2020, France

£20, The Wine Society

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