Winemaker Notes
he 2013 Mourvedre shows a nose of black currant, leather, meat drippings, bittersweet chocolate, and rose petals. On the mouth, tangy and nicely balanced between sweet and savory, with plum skin, cocoa powder, leather, baking spices, and an appealing burst of acidity on the finish to clean everything up. Still a baby. Open a bottle now, if you'd like, but expect it to really shine between 2020 and 2030.
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.
