Winemaker Notes
Deep purple-red with aromas of Santa Rosa plum, red perfume, cranberry, hint of cedar, and vanilla. Soft round entry, medium to heavy body. Enticing acidity that dances on the tongue. Gently firm and lingers through the palate. Cranberry, pomegranate, lilacs, fresh plum, light toasty oak. Long and persistent finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
The Ancient Vine series is a unique selection of ancient vineyard sources in Contra Costa County, which is well-known for heritage varietals. The site is entirely dry-farmed and organic. One of my favorite expressions to experience is Mourvèdre; this one is deep, with savory aromas of mulberry, huckleberry, clove, dried florals, and toasted oak on the nose. The palate is fresh, juicy raspberry, pomegranate, grilled tangerine, white pepper, star anise, and supple tannins on the finish.
Best Buy
Full of ripe fruit, and robust, earthy goodness, Mourvèdre is actually of Spanish provenance, where it still goes by the name Monastrell or Mataro. It is better associated however, with the Red Blends of the Rhône, namely Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Mourvèdre shines on its own in Bandol and is popular both as a single varietal wine in blends in the New World regions of Australia, California and Washington. Somm Secret—While Mourvèdre has been in California for many years, it didn’t gain momentum until the 1980s when a group of California winemakers inspired by the wines of the Rhône Valley finally began to renew a focus on it.
A large Northern California appellation centered on the San Francisco Bay Area, the San Francisco Bay AVA falls within the larger Central Coast AVA. The smaller appellations of Livermore Valley, Pacheco Pass, San Ysidro District and Santa Clara Valley AVAs fall within the San Francisco Bay boundaries, and all produce high-quality Central Coast wines.