Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Mataro Oakley Road Vineyard comes from own-rooted, 117-year-old vines grown in sandy soils. Grapes were harvested on September 2 and aged in 25% new French oak. Medium ruby-purple, it has a bright nose with red berries, dusty earth, Italian plum, leather, cured meats and touches of pepper and rose petals. It’s medium-bodied and silky with elegantly restrained fruits knit by grainy tannins and bright freshness on the long finish.
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.