It’s another #MourvedreMonday, but I don’t have a wine review to post. So I’ll share this fun video of Paso Wine Man singing the praises of my favorite grape for Paso’s 2013 Varietal of the Month Series. (I’ll have to forgive the awkward pronunciation…) #TeamMourvedre
Tag Archives: Mourvèdre
SFGate’s Top 100
SFGate’s Top 100 Wines of 2012 hit the interwebs yesterday and is a must-read. It’s loaded with intriguing wines to seek out, courtesy of Jon Bonné (@jbonne)
Only one varietal Mourvèdre made the list, but it’s one I’ve been itching to get my hands on — the 2011 La Clarine Farm Cedarville Sierra Foothills Mourvèdre, described thusly:
Mourvedre doing a delicious impersonation of Jura wine.
Yum.
– – –
FYI, there are two other wines on the list with Mourvèdre in the blend:
- 2010 Bedrock The Bedrock Heirloom Sonoma Valley Red
- 2009 Dos Cabezas El Campo Pronghorn Vineyard Sonoita Red
Mourvèdre Monday #26 – Esprit de Beaucastel
I tasted this wine back in the summer, but never got around to blogging my notes. So I decided to dust them off for today’s Mourvèdre Monday post.
Tablas Creek 2008 Esprit de Beaucastel Rouge
Complex nose of cherry/raspberry fruit with a hit of coffee/mocha and mint. On the palate, it is mouth-filling without being overwhelming. It delivers earthy dark fruit and lightly grippy tannins and finishes with a bit of a mineral/minty lift. Fruit-forward, but balanced.
VINEgeek Verdict: Damn good.
38% Mourvèdre
30% Grenache
26% Syrah
6% Counoise
Coolio bona fides:
- grapes from organic estate vineyard
- fermented with native yeasts
- aged in 1200-gallon French oak foudres
Price: $40-45
Laya 2010
I tasted an interesting little wine recently, the Bodegas Atalaya Laya 2010 from Spain’s D.O. Almansa, a blend of 70% Garnacha Tintorera (which is Alicante Bouschet) and 30% our good friend Monastrell. I didn’t record any tasting notes, but I quite enjoyed it and thought it had a lot going for it at around $10. Wine Enthusiast names this a Best Buy in this Stars of Southern Spain article. (They mistakenly – I think – list it as mostly Garnacha rather than Garnacha Tintorera. It is confusing because the label says Tintorera, but the website says Garnacha. I choose to trust the label.) Also, check out this post on the wine at the Excellent Everyday Wines blog.
While it’s only 30% Mouvèdre/Monastrell, let’s make it today’s Mourvèdre Monday recommendation.
Image is of 2011, but looks the same as 2010. (source)
VINEgeek VINstagram: The Stump Jump
Good supermarket red. I didn’t love the 2009, but the 2010 seems to be back in the groove of past vintages. #vinegeek #vinegeekapproved
on Instagram: http://instagr.am/p/QLlAW_M5y_/
VINEgeek’s Mourvèdre Round-Up 6.18.12
Here are a few things that have caught my Mourvèdre-adled brain’s attention recently (lots of Mourvèdre action from Down Under recently):
- Drinkster (aka @whiteswine) has a tour-de-force post on the history of Mourvèdre/Mataro in Australia all the way back to the Phoenicians. Must read.
- Aussie winemakers are producing more varietal Mourvèdre, according to themercury.com.au: “We’re seeing the emergence from blended obscurity of long-planted varietals like malbec and mourvedre increasingly appearing as straight varietals.” (via @kellsmellswine)
- The Empty Glass blog has a geek-worthy post comparing the merits of two bottle of d’Arenberg Twenty-Eight Road Mourvèdre 2006 McLaren Vale – one under cork and the other under screwcap (Stelvin closure). Click through to find out the results.
- The Good Drop blog reviews Yangarra Mourvèdre 2009 McLaren Vale: “The trinity of fruit, ferrous mineral and fine grained tannin make for a wonderful finish.” (Coincidentally, Yangarra happens to be mentioned in the Mercury article above.)
- Anglim Winery suggest s’mores as a pairing for their 2008 Mourvèdre. I, for one, avoid sweets with anything but dessert wine, but whatever floats your boat. I haven’t had the 2008, but I can highly recommend their 2007.
- Some crazed genius, who apparently cooks and sells corndogs from a modified shopping cart in England, apparently likes Mourvèdre enough to tweet an awkward-to-sing lyrical mashup of my favorite grape and that irritating song from Madagascar.
Mourvèdre Monday #25: Luzon 2009 Jumilla
I posted a photo of this wine bottle recently (via my Instagram account), but never commented on the wine itself. It’s a 70/30 Monastrell/Syrah blend from the Jumilla region of Spain. It sells for around $8-10. The nose is fresh, bringing red fruit with an herbal edge. On the palate, it’s like a black cherry Jolly Rancher dropped in rock dust. It’s not going to knock your socks off, but it delivered more interestingness than I expected for $8. Try it.
And I dig the label with the overlapping L-U-Z-O-N…
More Aussie Mourvèdre
Good news from Down Under (ᔥ themercury.com.au):
[W]e’re seeing the emergence from blended obscurity of long-planted varietals like malbec and mourvedre increasingly appearing as straight varietals.
Varietal Mourvèdre makes VINEgeek very happy. Hope more of it makes it to our shores.
…
#TeamMourvedre’s New Mascot
I was very happy to receive this little monster in the mail last week. I think #TeamMourvedre may have itself a new unofficial mascot, courtesy of Bonny Doon Vineyard.
I think he/she needs a name.
Morris?
Maurice?
Morty?
Èd? (avec accent grave, bien sûr)
Feel free to offer your own suggestions.
You may recognize the little guy/gal/beast from the label on this bottle, previously reviewed. As I said then:
I want this on a t-shirt.
(Is anyone in Santa Cruz listening?)
The bottle itself is a half-bottle of Bonny Doon 2010 Mourvèdre “Mon Doux” — a dessert wine (“my sweet”) from old-vine Contra Costa County mourvèdre.
I’m very glad I added this to my club shipment, and can’t wait to see what this little beast has in store.
VINEgeek VINstagram
Tonight’s Pour: Texas Mourvedre Blend | #wine #vinegeek #TeamMourvedre
on Instagram: http://instagr.am/p/QJm41/