Kivelstadt Cellars KC Labs Mourvedre 2016
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After leaving a career in consulting in his early twenties, Jordan Kivelstadt traveled the world making wine in California, Australia, Chile and Argentina. In 2007, Jordan made 125 cases of Estate Syrah. He drew inspiration both from his winemaking experiences in the new world and his family’s passion for European cuisine, art and wine culture. Hence, the focus became exploring the product of incredible California vineyards, with a nod toward the rich history and balance of the old world wines that came before.
Since the inaugural 2007 vintage, production has grown to 3,500 cases annually. Kivelstadt Cellars strives to create wines of intrigue that maintain a fun and approachable style and challenge the status quo of conventional California wines.
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 and diverse appellation within California’s North Coast AVA, Mendocino is home to several smaller sub-regions—most notably the Anderson Valley. This scenic region, with rolling hills covered in redwood forests as well as vineyards, is one of the world’s top producers of certified organically-grown grapes. Due to wide geographical and climatic variation, a vast array of wine styles can be found here.