Seguret and Chou Farci (Duck) with Domaine de Pourra

I met proprietor Jean-Christian Mayordome at Vignerons Indépendants in Bordeaux.

A former doctor, his desire was to grow grapes and make wine was stronger than practicing medicine, thus he created this estate from scratch in 1998. He farms about 26h (63 acres) in the Southern Rhone: Gigondas AOC and Seguret Côtes du Rhone Villages areas. He used natural practices from the start and he’s biodynamic as of 2019. His rare interventions are minimal and almost no wood use; this allows the fruit character to shine. His wines show great refinement and power!

It’s uncommon to find limestone in Seguret, yet his vineyard sits atop just that. During my tasting with him, he commented how this gives his Mont Bayon amazing freshness even after laying it down for several years. After sipping this wine tonight, I get what he meant about freshness even with age!

At eight years, his Mont Bayon 2016 Côtes du Rhône Villages Seguret (a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvedré) reminds me of chopped black cherries and blackberries that macerated on the counter top all day – fragrantly deep and rich. This combined with the distinct aroma of southern French garrigue makes it fresh and savory, meaning nothing sweet about it. The acidity keeps it lively as it crosses mid-palate, and fine-grained tannins are fairly long, smooth, and drying. For wine geeks, it’s medium plus all the way around.

What particularly caused me to pause, and check more than twice, was a lack of browning. It pours profound black cherry with a deep ruby rim. Lovely wine served with duck filled cabbage rolls (Chou Farci) with a quirky sauce. Couldn’t resist roasted asparagus on the side which is in season right now.

This was my first time making stuffed cabbage, which paired brilliantly with the 2016 Seguret Mont Bayon. I made a few tweaks to my friend Hank Shaw‘s recipe. If you like to cook, I highly recommend his books. And if you enjoy duck, this recipe is a winner and easy to make.