For years we bought wine from the Domaine de Cabasse, a hotel and winery in the town of Seguret, an appellation in the foothills of the Dentelles de Montmirail. Nicolas Haeni learned winemaking there from his father Albert. About a decade ago, he started a vineyard in the hills above Seguret, using the innovative techniques of the UN’s Priorat project, a system of terracing and planting designed to limit erosion in steep vineyards. The Haeni family has since sold the Domaine de Cabasse, but Nicolas kept the hillside vineyard. The views are superb at 1000 to 1200 feet, but the work is hard, and the vines struggled to establish themselves. But NIcolas persisted, and In 2013 the Domaine Malmont sold its first vintage.
We are proud to have been among Malmont’s first customers, and we are very pleased to see the praise flow in from the reviewers. NIcolas makes two wines — one a 60/40 Grenache and Syrah from the lower part of vineyard that he sells as Cotes du Rhône; and another, sold as Séguret, from the top of the vineyard. The Séguret is a blend of 55% Syrah/ 45% Grenache. The Wine Spectator’s James Molesworth recently called the 2016s “potentially outstanding,” and we agree. The Séguret in particular offers a striking purity of fruit along with beautiful minerality.
