Mourvedré, Monastrell, Mataro...
This is another great grape that I'm seeing a little more of. I'd put it in the vein of the California Petite Syrah emergence and potentially compare it to the apparent growing presence of Carignane (California and elsewhere) and Carmenere- not in style necessarily but in terms of growth and availability.
You can find great Monastrell from Jumilla, Yecla, and the Spanish wine regions south of Barcelona. Great values abound including the Juan Gil from Jumilla, a 100% "blend." Very good Rhone and Provence options as well, where Mourvedré is often going to be found blended in a GSM like wine. However, if you can find Cabernet Sauvignon blends, do not shy away. California is also not a newcomer to Mataro and Mourvedré, where the latter moniker seems to produce the better quality product. Cline does very interesting bottlings, including their Ancient Vines and Small Berry designations.
These wines are weighty in the mouth and can be almost syrupy with the current trend of heavily ripe pickings and over-extracted fruit. Most that I have sampled do not have the feared beasts of tannin or acid that many run from. These wines, instead, are jammy, meaty, and pair well with food due to their weight and size alone (i.e. big) although they are not astringent, caustic, or otherwise requiring a complementary food pairing.
Seek them out as an alternative to Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Petite Syrah, and other full bodied wines, and let us know what you think!
posted by
FRFTF
on
Wednesday September 03, 2008 10:43 PM
3 comments ...
