KYSELA PERE ET FILS, LTD.

"Huge and powerful, but so fresh. This has great driving intensity, with even bigger, more structural tannins than the domaine’s other cuvée. A rampaging Châteauneuf that will take time to settle, and will always be wild. Long, vibrant and chiselled. An absolute beast. Mordorée has been massive but overripe in the past; it's still massive but with this vintage the ripeness is more controlled, and it has transformed into something extraordinary. Fermented and aged 80% in stainless steel, the rest in old barrels. - Matt WALLS"

- Decanter Magazine (September 17th 2023, Part of Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2022: Report and top-scoring wines), 98 pts

"The 2022 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée De La Reine Des Bois is based on 75% Grenache, 10% each Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre, and the rest Counoise and Vaccarèse. It's not massive yet just exudes class and elegance, with both red and black fruits that give way to more spice, peppery garrigue, and leather, with classic background licorice and black olive notes. Medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and elegant, with silky tannins, this brilliant Châteauneuf du Pape will evolve for two decades."

- Jeb Dunnuck (Importer Highlight: Fran Kysela ; July 2024), 97 pts
#36 in the Top 100 wines of 2024

"Gorgeous nose, already showing some spicy, woody complexity. Just as compelling on the palate, the tannins are plentiful and will need time to settle, but the fruit is opulent enough to wait. Very long finish. From mostly galets roulés soils from lieu-dits Bois de la Ville, La Crau and La Nerthe, fermented and aged in 80% stainless steel, 20% old barriques. All destemmed. - Matt Walls"

- Decanter (October 1st 2022), 95 pts

"Muscular and rich yet expertly balanced, with a solid core of black current and plum and charred applewood playing out on a svelte, yet slightly chewy palate. Wood smoke, black tea and dried fig fill out the backdrop, while a beam of saline minerals drive energy through the slightly grippy finish. Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah. Drink now through 2035. —Kristen BIELER.

- Wine Spectator Insider (October 4th 2023), 94 pts

"A complex and beautifully balanced Chateauneuf for the challenging vintage with a wide spectrum of fruit aromas ranging from ripe cherry to wild blackberry, but also wild herbs and summer flowers. Barely full-bodied thanks to the mineral freshness and the crisp tannins. A cuvee of 80% grenache, 10% mourvedre, 5% syrah and 5% vaccarese. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold."

- James Suckling (April 2023), 94 pts

"I loved the 2021 Châteauneuf Du Pape La Reine Des Bois, a ripe, sexy, juicy 2021 offering lots of red and blue fruits as well as notes of peppery garrigue and flowers. Concentrated, medium to full-bodied, and seamless on the palate, it's a brilliant expression of Grenache that will drink well for over a decade."

- Jeb Dunnuck (November 2022), 92-94 pts

"The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape La Reine Des Bois is a bigger, richer, more structured wine, which is normal. A blend of 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre, and the rest equal parts Syrah and Vaccarese, its deeper ruby/purple hue is followed by a brilliant perfume of blackberries, black raspberries, ground pepper, violets, and new saddle leather. Medium to full-bodied and concentrated, with building tannins and great overall balance, it's another wine that shows the style of the vintage brilliantly. It has plenty of up-front charm, but this beauty will evolve nicely for 15-20 years."

- Jeb Dunnuck (November 2022), 96 pts

"What a beautifully ripe mulberry aroma this Chateauneuf has! An imposing but stunningly fine tannin structure neatly supports the richness and concentration on the full-bodied palate. Very long, creamy and dry finish with a pronounced licorice note that pulls you inexorably back for more. A complex blend based on grenache. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold."

- James Suckling (August 2022), 95 pts

"In contrast to the rather unyielding 2019, a tank sample of the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape La Reine des Bois was friendlier and more approachable, more red-fruited and herbal. Full-bodied and perhaps a touch warm, but also fresh, silky and long, it's a lovely wine to drink while waiting for the 2019 to come around."

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (May 2022), 92-94 pts

"Deep violet. Vibrant, mineral-accented red/blue fruit preserve scents are complemented by baking spice and potpourri topnotes. Sappy and concentrated on the palate, showing vibrant lift and energy to intense blueberry, cherry cola, floral pastille and spicecake flavors that deepen with air. Finishes sweet, seamless and impressively long, with steadily building tannins adding shape and closing grip. - Josh Raynolds"

- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (October 2021), 95 pts

"The 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée De La Reine des Bois is a deeper, more masculine wine with gorgeous cassis and blackberry fruits as well as graphite, licorice, crushed stone, violets, and lavender nuances. Rich, full-bodied, and incredibly concentrated, it has a brilliant sense of freshness and purity as well as length on the finish. It's going to require 4-5 years of bottle age, but this straight-up thrilling Châteauneuf du Pape will have 20-25 years of prime drinking."

- Jeb Dunnuck (November 2021), 98+ pts

"Built for the cellar, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape La Reine des Bois—a blend of 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre and 5% each Syrah and Vaccarèse—is full-bodied and firm. Concentrated and dense, it's tight and structured, although it does offer up hints of mocha, vanilla, ripe cherries and chocolate on the nose, and finishes long and velvety. Tasted twice (once blind), with consistent notes."

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (May 2022), 95 pts

"Opaque ruby. Expressive red and dark berry liqueur, cherry cola, licorice and floral aromas are complemented by exotic spice and smoky mineral flourishes. Broad and fleshy in texture, offering deeply concentrated blackberry, boysenberry and bitter cherry flavors that turn sweeter as the wine opens up. Finishes with impressive clarity, well-judged tannins and superb, floral-driven persistence. - Josh Raynolds"

- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (October 2021), 95 pts

"Well-built, with a very dense core of dark plum, blackberry and fig flavors scored by warm earth, singed alder and tar through the finish. Dark in profile and with a muscular edge, but this is well-defined and proportioned from start to finish. Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah. Best from 2024 through 2038. - James MOLESWORTH"

- Wine Spectator (Insider, December 15th 2021), 94 pts

"The 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape La Reine des Bois (presented as a prospective blend, from tank and barrel) features scents of peppered raspberries. It's full-bodied but lively, with the creamy, lush feel that typifies this bottling, and a lingering finish. Despite all of the work required early in the season, it's turned out beautifully. - Joe Czerwinski"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue 245, October 2019), 93-95 pts

Go to Domaine de la Mordoree Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee de la Reine des Bois

"The flagship is the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape La Reine Des Bois and it’s 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre, 5% Syrah, and the rest a mix of permitted varieties. Aged 20% in old barrels (this was raised in new barrels in the past) and the rest in stainless steel, it’s more backward and closed compared to the Voyageuse release and has ample blackcurrants, smoked earth, graphite, and peppery garrigue aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, balanced, and textured on the palate, it has solid underlying structure yet still plays in the balanced, charming, elegant style of the vintage. It’s beautifully done and certainly up with the top wines. It should drink nicely for 10-15 years."

- Jeb Dunnuck (October 2020), 95 pts

"Warm and inviting, with a richly layered core of steeped plum, blackberry and cherry fruit. Hints of alder and mesquite check in, along with twinges of chestnut and brick dust. Offers a nice mix of modern and old school. Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah. Best from 2023 through 2036. —James MOLESWORTH"

- Wine Spectator (Insider, February 17th 2021), 94 pts

"Saturated ruby-red. Highly perfumed red and blue fruits, potpourri, garrigue and exotic spices on the expansive nose. Stains the palate with sweet boysenberry, raspberry preserve and floral pastille flavors sharpened by smoky mineral and white pepper flourishes. Shows impressive depth and power but comes off lively and delivers strong floral thrust and spicy lift on the extremely long, gently tannic finish. - Josh Raynolds"

- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (October 2021), 94 pts

"Inky in hue and edged by bold, gripping tannins, this is a rich, deeply concentrated blend of Grenache (80%), Mourvèdre (10%), Syrah (5%) and Vaccarèse (5%). Fermented and aged primarily in stainless steel and with no new oak influence, it's keenly focused on flavors of blackberry and strawberry preserves, but hints of bitter almond, pepper and bramble lend interest, too. It's a bit brawny in youth but should sing from 2023 to 2030 and hold further. - ANNA LEE C. IIJIMA"

 - Wine Enthusiast (February/March 2021), 96 pts - Cellar Selection

"The saturated purple-hued 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée De La Reine Des Bois is another brilliant wine from this estate. Made from 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvèdre, and 5% Syrah and Vaccarèse (as well as a few other varieties) brought up in 80% stainless steel and 20% old barrels, it offers an extraordinary bouquet of blackcurrants, chocolaty herbs, ground pepper, and graphite. Deep, rich, full-bodied, and concentrated, it stays pure and flawlessly balanced on the palate, with silky tannins. I love everything about this wine, which reminds me of a slightly plusher example of the 2010. It has some upfront charm today and will continue drinking brilliantly for 15 years or more."

- Jeb Dunnuck (August 16th 2019), 97 pts

Go to Domaine de la Mordoree Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee de la Reine des Bois