Volume 34, Issue 9: July 2010 We take a look at a range of Mourvèdres, not so much because of what the grape has accomplished here in California so much as because of its important role as a blending grape to Grenache in the southern Rhône district, and in Australia where it also features prominently alongside Grenache. It adds dark, earthy tones to red wine blends and provides what some winemakers think of as “the base” for lighter, aromatic wines.
Sort By [Vintage   ][Winery ] [Rating ][Price ][Appellation ] Good Value Found 9 results. Displaying 1-9. 86 ADELAIDA The Glenrose Vineyard Mourvedre Paso Robles 2007 $30.00 Adelaida's clear bent to ripeness is once again evident here, and the wine's virtues of rich spice and ample plum- and berry-like fruit are countered by considerable back-palate harshness. Full, fleshy and fairly fat to start but also too hot for its own good, it wants tagging for hearty dishes and it should not be left for too many years before drinking. 85 ADELAIDA Version Mourvedre Paso Robles 2007 $32.00 Although this blend may touch all of the Rhône red bases, it is defined more by ripeness than by specific fruit, and, as rich as it may be, it tempers that richness with enough acid and heat to wind up slightly edgy and coarse. Its forte is strength rather than refinement. 87 CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE Austral Limited Release Mourvedre Wahluke Slope 2007 $30.00 Mildly brushy, faintly smoky and filled out with a nice note of ripe berries in the nose, this rounded, relatively full-bodied wine follows suit on the palate with easy-to-taste flavors underscored by a firming complement of fine-grained tannins. It promises to show increased complexity with age, and it should reach its best in two or three years. 86 CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE Limited Release Mourvedre Wahluke Slope 2007 $25.00 Dense, noticeably ripe and lightly accented with touches of white pepper and earth in the nose, this weighty effort enters with a fair bit of well-ripened berryish fruit. Its flavors are gradually cramped and cut off by an intrusive mix of tannins and acid, and three or four years of cellaring are earnestly recommended. 85 CLINE Ancient Vines Mourvedre Contra Costa County 2008 $16.00 While this initially juicy young wine has a fair sense of richness going for it, it is presently hard-pressed by its streak of slightly too-tangy acids, and what starts out a well-fruited wine winds up taut and pinched at the end. Given its age, there is room for hope that a bit of bottle time helps smooth things out, but that is a hope more than a guarantee. 84 CLINE Cashmere Mourvedre California 2008 $16.00 Dull in the nose and dull on the palate with a bit of soft-centered, strawberryish fruit struggling to keep pace, this lazy, somewhat underfilled wine lacks the structure for keeping and musters nothing in the way of real interest now. 83 KENNETH VOLK Enz Vineyard Mourvedre Lime Kiln Valley 2006 $36.00 Ripeness rides roughshod over identifiable fruit character here, and the wine gets mired in heaviness and tastes of dulling dark chocolate. Big but plodding and showing its 15.8% alcohol at the end, it is wholly without clear varietal direction and should dry out early on. 82 ROSENBLUM Pato Vineyard Mourvedre Contra Costa County 2007 $25.00 Hot, heavy-footed and a touch sour at one and the same time, this unattractive wine says little about Mourvèdre other than it can get very ripe; and, its decidedly sharp finish makes it all the harder to like. 87 TABLAS CREEK Esprit de Beaucastel Mourvedre Paso Robles 2007 $50.00 If starting out with smells of hardwoods, dark soils and something akin to a dusty attic, this bottling gains appreciably with a bit of air and exhibits a fair sense of well-ripened, dark-berry fruit. In the mouth, it is fleshy and displays deeper, more concentrated flavors than promised, and its fairly generous fruit is laced with complex touches of peppery spice. It is blunted by late-arriving tannins, but should be helped by aging, and a stay in the cellar of three or four years is advised.
Tasting Note View
 
+Rating System
 THREE STARS:(95-98 points) An exceptional wine. Worth a special search of the market.
 TWO STARS:(91-94 points) A highly distinctive wine. Likely to be memorable.
 ONE STAR:(87-90 points) Fine example of a type or style of wine. Without notable flaws.
Note: Wines not marked with stars are often delightful wines. Each has unique virtues and any of these wines may be the best wine to serve your needs based on value, availability or for your dining and taste preferences.
95-98 3 Stars
91-94 2 Stars
87-90 1 Star
80-86 Wines of varying quality and value. See tasting notes for details.
70-79 Flawed wines to be avoided.
+Ageworthiness
 Drinkable now. Unlikely to improve with further aging.
 Drinkable now. Further bottle aging can improve this wine.
 Cellar for future drinking. Wine will improve with bottle aging.
 Not suitable for drinking.
+Food & Wine Pairings
 Soft and fruity wine Quaffable by itself or with light foods.
 Crisp white. Medium acid and dry. Fish or delicate flavored foods.
 Mellow white. Dry to slightly sweet. Enough acid for white meats.
 Full and balanced dry white. Try with rich seafood and fowl dishes.
 Light Red and powerhouse White. Fowl, veal and light meats.
 Medium Red. Balanced, good depth, medium tannin. Beef and lamb.
 Robust Red. Full tannin, intense flavors. For highly spiced meat dishes.
 Sweet Dessert wine. Enjoyable by itself or with sweet desserts.
+Availability
 Generally available in most markets.
 Limited production and/or limited geographic distribution.
 Very limited availability.
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