What, No Mourvedre Appreciation Delegation?

WINE TALK
21

Peter, are you still crying about the Jade Mountain?!!?

Have you emailed the Danielaks at Pont Neuf (also make Juicy Rebound Evangelho Mourvedre)? They will notify you and me when the Mourvedre wines come out.

22

Folks, there are many wimemakers who have been working with Mourvèdre for a long time. Guys like Kenneth Volk, Bill Easton, Randall Graham. The ‘challenge’ for this variety is not unlike Petite Sirah - it has historically been viewed as a blending variety, not a stand alone one, especially here in the US. (Same story as Grenache, but I’ll save that for another post!)

Thanks to Tablas Creek, new cuttings were brought in to the US in the 90s, and starting about 15 years ago, have been used in both new plantings and replants throughout the US. These have proven to provide ‘better’, more ‘characteristics’ fruit than many previous clones that had been used.

I really dig the variety and feel it has a bright future ahead of it - as a variety for rose, a stand-alone one, and one perfect for blends as well.

Cheers.

23

This. [cheers.gif]

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I am also excited about the Washington state plantings. I have a couple of bottles of Mark Ryan and Gramercy waiting for whenever I can do my big Mourvedre tasting.

*Also, considering that the grape makes yummy, not merely drinkable juice, from Arizona to the Pacific Northwest, it does deserve a little more credit.

My point of soliciting the creation of such an organization is not for me to keep drinking the stuff, but (just as with Petite Sirah’s PS, I Love You) to get other people to drink it.

25

this

26

Well, it beats Jonesing over tomato “wine!” :wink:

Hmm, sounds interesting. Is it good? Never heard of this (or them), thanks!

27

Peter,

I bought the Juicy Rebound Cuvee Unique, which carries a RRV appellation, and is Syrah dominant, I think. The Juicy Rebound California appellate is Contra Costa Mourvedre, followed by Grenache and Syrah from somewhere else, I think. I am waiting for the straight Mourvedre CC bottling from Juicy Rebound. They also have a Rhone Blend under the Pont Neuf label.

Here’s the email reply:
Hello Drew,

Thanks so much for purchasing our Juicy Rebound “Juicy Villages”. Alas, the Mourvedre and Grenache source for that bottling has since been t-budded over to Pinot Noir and we no longer work with that grower. It is sad that these heritage varieties are succumbing to the economics of the wine business, with Cabernet, Pinot, and other mainstream varieties taking precedence for their higher price per ton. We will continue to hunt for well-farmed, old vine grapes for our Juicy Villages.

You have found some of the best Rhone producers, we especially enjoy the Bedrock wines.

We can add you to our mailing list so that you won’t miss out on new releases. You can always contact us to obtain our wines. If you are in Canada, a great source for all of Douglas’ Pioneer, Juicy Rebound and Pont Neuf wines is J. Webb Wine Merchant in Calgary.

If you are planning a visit to Napa, please include us in your visits as Douglas and I would love to taste with you. We taste our wines, by appointment only, at Boeschen Vineyards, just north of St. Helena.

Wishing you and yours a very Happy Holiday!
Mary
707-812-2725

28

I like a Mourvedre dominant blend, Rasa and their PB brand are quite nice from WA.

  • 2011 PB Wines (Rasa Vineyards) Mourvedre / Syrah / Grenache Walla Walla Valley - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley (12/15/2015)
    Dark ruby red with red currant and cherry nose. Dry with dusty tannins, medium fruit with a good acid component to keep the fruit in balance. Not austere, but a bit restrained clear fruit and drinking well on opening with just a touch of bitter tannins on the finish. Similarities to a Tuscan red food focused wine. With a little more time this will show even better. (89 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker
Also I am going to order some more Dirty & Rowdy Familiar from Storyteller.

  • 2014 Dirty and Rowdy Mourvedre FAMILIAR - USA, California (10/26/2015)
    Medium garnet with nose of ripe strawberries. Usually I would not open a red this young, but here goes due to all the notes on how well this drinks young. Refreshing bright fruit of well ripened strawberries, bold acid to liven the fruit and enough tart tannins on the finish to carry it along for a good ride. Bold fruit, but not overly heavy by any means, balanced by the acid which is very nice. I can see the reference to an OR pinot. It would be interesting to see how this develops over several years, but I only have the single bottle at present. The low 12.7% Alc is very much appreciated and the acid should carry for a number of years, 89 pts on opening. Starting to get some white pepper after an hour or so. Another night, strong raspberry nose, tart raspberries, light chewy tannins, restrained fruit, medium body, fresh and zesty. Great for immediate drinking and improves a lot with more open time. Not an intellectual wine to ponder the meaning of life, some wines are meant to drink and enjoy, this being one. (91 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker
This is another nice WA blend I am drinking:

  • 2010 Maison Bleue Gravière Upland Vineyard - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley Snipes Mountain (12/24/2015)
    More toward the fruit side with some mineral. Finally getting around to writing a formal note, the bottle having rested on the counter for a couple of days, and the time has been beneficial. Medium red ruby color with a red berry, cherry nose. The acid has shown itself, giving a tart berry defining the medium fruit and some nicely integrated chewy tannins. Getting blueberries with some earthy slatey mineral elements, pine and balsam, olive brine and some light tar. Drinking exceedingly well, so give some time. While on the high 80s on opening, it’s now in the low 90s and rising. The last glass tonight was the best 3 days later. (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

29

The problem, for me, with Mourvèdre is that it requires a very narrow climatic range or terroir for it to make wine that is not too green and not too jammy. Most Spanish and all new world single varietals that I’ve tried have been too jammy. This difficult ripening issue is why it’s often used as a blender. However, in certain places, like Bandol and Roussillon, you can get the balance that can make wines with ripe tannins and freshness of fruit that will develop slowly for a long time.

Any vineyard that can be converted successfully to Pinot noir sounds like it was not suited to Mourvèdre and vice versa.

Regarding my Motus, ian, They age slowly. People have been sending me tasting notes of the 2006 which still has plenty of life ahead of it. However, the 2012 and 2013 I made with less tannic structure as so many customers want to drink them soon after purchase. They still have the acidity to last though.

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I will give these a try. That is if I can find them.

31

Jon, I’ve had plenty of jammy Mourvedres from Spain, Washington and Australia, but very few from CA. Maybe it’s because people who want to make jammy wines are playing to pop culture hype, so they choose an en vogue variety like Pinot or Cab, while the people who seek it out have a passion for, and understanding of, the grape.

As far as sites here being too cool for it goes - our weather tends to not shut down quickly, allowing for extended hang time in the cool late season, where sugar and acid progression slow to a crawl. I’d be more afraid the other way - if a site has a proven track record for excellent Moo, the Pinot going in will probably end up being a gooey mess.

It’s true that some of the super old vines are in warm sites like the Contra Costa vineyards. I’m sure it’s a great challenge, and some jammy ones do come about (for some, it’s an individual vintage, here and there), for the most part there’s a reason those 120-ish year old vines are treasured.

People have already noted some good producers above, and there are more. California is a big town, and there are excellent sites for Moo.

32

Moo?

Call it cow juice! Then people will think we are not drinking. :wink:

33

I am in agreement with most of what Mr Brand says on WB, and his defense of CC Mourvedre/“Cow Juice”/“Mu”(that’s for Hardy) is pretty spot-on.

Please do not hate on Contra Costa. If not for those vines, Americans (if not others) would not have gained insight into the variety we all love.

The Enz Lime Kiln plantings were determined to be Mourvedre/Mataro only after comparison with ampelographic samples from Oakley/Antioch.

Also, the understanding that the smaller berried bushes made the better juice was more of a CC thing. I don’t know if that stems from morphological or external factors, however.

I have tasted Mourvedre from many places, and I respectfully disagree with Mr Hesford’s statements about site suitability in California.

I love Bandol. Languedoc and Roussillon are doing some awesome, revolutionary stuff right now with old vine Mourvedre and Carignan.
I would be interested in tasting the Motus. What US importer do you use, Jon?

34

Over the past few years, we’ve thrown around the idea of getting together with some producers and putting together a small “Mourvèdre-Con”. (Which I personally envision as just an excuse for me to have a never-ending chalice of La Clarine’s Cedarville Vineyard Mourvèdre).

Hopefully this Spring we’ll get off our hump- even if it is just in our backyard or the park down the street.

35

Looks like you were right!

Now we need some t-shirts à la “Semmageddon”.

36

Thanks Jon. I think I’ve only ever sent a TN to a winery once - a 2003 Ch. Fuisse we bought following a discussion with them how they didn’t sell through because of the perception of the vintage. They reckoned they made a good wine, so I asked them to dig me a bottle out. That felt right to email them a note - fwiw I liked it.

regards
Ian

37

Count me in, my friend!

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Hardy - let me know if you do that. Depending on other obligations, I may be able to help scrounge up some Spanish versions. Gotta have Bandol too, don’t neglect the original home of the grape.

39

And folks, there is not a lot of new Mourvèdre plantings happening these days in CA. There are some - Stolpman is adding some to their vineyard along Ballard Canyon and I’ve heard of another vineyard adding some to their Sta. Rita Hills vineyard, but it remains very much an 'outsider ’ variety, destined to be a ‘blender’ for most folks . . .

As far as 'riper’ones go here in CA, there are plenty of them being produced. Plenty of areas up in Paso that get plenty ripe enough to produce jammy, fruit forward examples. Not my favorite style, for I feel that the earthy, peppery, slightly funky characteristics of the grape make it what it is . . .

Cheers

40

I’m sure California does have sites that can grow perfect mourvedre for a varietal, or almost varietal, wine. What Larry says suggest he knows exactly where the balance lies. It’s just that my experiences of Mataro (the Catalan name) from Australia and Monastrell (the Spanish name) from around Jumilla, have been too ripe to capture that great feral character combined with great fruit and lovely acidity.

I don’t know if I’m correct in saying this because I’ve never really explored California (difficult from France) and I only visited Napa and Sonoma for a day, but too many of the “boutique” wineries seems to be focused on making wines that they know rich people will pay big bucks for, rather than carving out their own style. The example of top-grafting a Mourverde vineyard with Pinot noir is a prime example of that.

One thing I’ve found is that it (or mine) suits American oak better than French. I’d always assumed that Bandol would use French oak but I know a guy who did vintage at Domaine Tempier and he told me they actually use American, as well as other oaks. So that backed up my own thoughts.

I only have one US importer and she’s in New York. Loubaton Imports. She hasn’t bought the Motus (I can see why now!)