TN: 2007 McPrice Myers - "Higher Ground" Mourvedre - Alta Mesa Vineyard (USA, California, Central Coast)

WINE TALK
1

NOSE: oaky with dark purple fruits; the fruits are obscured by the oak; some floral and meaty tones; not complex - mostly hits, and stays on, one note.

BODY: lots of superfine particulate matter; medium-full to full bodied; inky garnet color of great depth.

TASTE: very oaky - too much; some spice; some alcohol “bite”/spiciness (15.6%); rich; earthy - a tad bitter; not funky; Raisinettes; full palate; some acid, but not enough, imo; soft, but still has some caressing tannins that become slightly grippy on the finish; long finish (60+ sec.); hint of cigar on the finish. Drink over next 5 years.

I had a hard time discerning this wine from others that MM makes: if I would have tasted this blind I likely would have called this a Syrah blend (maybe with some Mourved. thrown in, but I certainly wouldn’t have guessed Mourvedre). I had the opportunity to taste this wine from barrel a couple years ago: at that time, I absolutely loved this wine because it showed character, complexity, and varietal typicity; now, the oak treatment has completely taken-over the great wine that Mac put in those barrels. I was very excited to open this bottle, but came out very disappointed in the end. Why so much oak!?!?

B: 50, 5, 11, 15, 6 = (87 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

2

I think I remember him saying that this wine would take the longest to integrate, and that of all his wines this one will reward patience. Looks like another 2-3 years for me to open mine. Thanks for the notes

3

Brian,

Thanks for the notes. I guess the thing that gets me is why you would flood a mourvedre with a lot of oak?!?!? The joy to me in this variety is the fruit quality itself - earthiness, pepper , funk - at least from where I get it from . . . NOT oak . . . Kind of like oaking grenache to me - a definite no no . . .

YMMV, of course . . . and what do I know [foilhat.gif] [foilhat.gif] [foilhat.gif]

4

and this is exactly how it tasted out of barrel!

Steven,
yeah, i’d sit and wait: there’s just nothing to be had from drinking this now.

5

Other vintages, however, have suffered greatly when left in the bottle just a short while - 2 years, etc. They fall off quickly, it seems, and what made them so enjoyable young is not present anymore. I saw a lot of notes on the '05 and '06’s on here, some I wrote, and they were all quite similar in that regard. Perhaps they are changing their winemaking style now, and they are more built to age.

6

to be clear, it is my opinion that this wine was NOT built to age (hence my drink over next 5 years drink window). I think this has the tannins to stand-up to two or three years in the cellar without falling-off as others have, but I don’t like where my imagination takes me when I imagine where this will be in 7 or 8 years. If you don’t mind big oak then you should drink this now; otherwise, hold for a couple years and hope the oak integrates some.

7

I think I tasted this on Friday at the winery, and I thought it was very good…but I do agree that it lacked the earth, funk, “sticks” aspect that I so love in mourvedre

8

Milos,

Did you taste in Santa Maria or the tasting room in Paso? If you tasted in Paso, did you have to call ahead to have an opportunity to taste the McPrice wines (rather than just tasting the Barrel 27 wines)?

9

I was at the B27 tasting room in Paso…I was actually there to try Edgar’s wines (Bodega de Edgar http://bodegadeedgar.com/Home_Page.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) and he suggested that I try Mac’s mourvedre…Mac was pouring for a small group at the time as well (this was all in the back, not the TR), so I just tried that one. I’m not sure about needing an appointment. I’m sure that this weekend was easier to try the wines cuz of HdR, but I’ve been invited to try the wines before when just stopping in the B27 tasting room

so in short, it can’t hurt to call, but I think that you can try 'em just about any time, but they don’t pour em in the TR, only the back

also, if you haven’t, I’d check out the Bodega de Edgar wines

10

[welldone.gif]

Now just add Syrah to the list!

11

I think any Mourvedre fan that hasn’t had anything from Domaine Tempier should pick up a current release of the Cuvee Classique and take a look at it. In my mind it sets the a great baseline standard for the varietal, and it does so at about $35.

12

Josh,

For the most part, I agree with you . . . my syrahs see no new oak . . .

That said, I see where some syrahs do benefit from new oak . . . It can certainly add structure and aromatic components to a wine, or at least amplify things that are already there . . . It doesn’t ‘mask’ things as much as it does with Mourvedre and Grenache . . . .

But as usual in everything wine, YMMV . . .

Cheers!

13

I thought the 2007 Cline was a pretty nice standard at $12-$15, maybe not Tempier, but correct and mighty tasty. I was actually fairly shocked at the nice QPR out of CA.

14

Always interested in comparing notes. I actually liked this wine quite a bit more than you Brian. I admit that I am not especially sensitive to oak in red wines unless it takes on a caramel flavor, like I have had with some older Pride wines. I also did pick up some Mourvedre signature flavors, albeit toned down relative to a lot of Mourvedre-based wines.

My notes FWIW:

  • 2007 McPrice Myers Mourvedre Higher Ground Alta Mesa Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast (3/23/2010)
    15.6% ABV. Dark garnet, somewhat translucent in the glass. Nice nose of balsa wood with a slight lift of pinon spice and background note of Mourvedre animal fur. Ripe fruit attack with black fruit and sweet kirsch. Nice wine and pretty delicious now. As you might expect based on the grape, this shares some similar flavors to Carlisle’s Two Acres, but this strikes me as a bit more red fruit oriented and in a slightly more ripe, fruit driven style. Nice. Keep the ripe fruit police away. I may see if Mac has more to sell. (93 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Cheers,
James

15

My weekly luncheon group drank California and Washington tempranillo and mourvedre Saturday. After I pulled this wine, I looked it up and found this thread, which concerned me a bit. But I was happy when I opened the bottle.

It remains sound, has mostly absorbed the oak, and now delivers good lifted, varietal aromatics. Not Bandol – but notably complex in the context of what we were drinking. (91 points) Appears this needed enough time to find some harmony, though I would drink it soon.

(FWIW, we did have my idea of an anti-mourvedre there – 2015 Andremily, all prunes, boysenberries and alfalfa, with a sorbet-like citric palate. Bizarre to my taste. But others adored it.)

16

Wow! Great to hear this wine improved with that much age, Jeff! Thanks for posting. [cheers.gif]