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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2006 and 2012 (based on 5 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 85 pts. and median of 86 pts. in 26 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by UpfromtheCellar on 12/18/2017 & rated 90 points: I'm going to be the odd man out here and since there are still 90 bottles listed as being in cellars on CT, I am going to tell them "Well done!" When this wine first came out it was rather cooked, heavy, leaden and checking in at 14.5%, it was a "headache in every bottle" as a friend of mine use to call it whenever we opened some. Sure it was smoooooth in an almost raisiny sort of fashion, but it had so many other evident flaws that I'm not surprised at the wide range of scores that have accompanied this wine over its life.
Still, after carefully cellaring this wine for 12 years I am happy to report that it has emerged from some sort of cocoon as an elegant, light/medium weight beauty with lift and appeal - I didn't even notice the 14.5% it was so well integrated. The heavy over ripe fruit of youth was gone, it was no longer the black inky wine of old. If ever a duckling could grow up to be a swan this is it. If you are one of the lucky 90 good for you. (1024 views) | | | Tasted by kahuna75 on 1/28/2011 & rated 88 points: Wine had a nice bright berry nose and followed up with fairly vibrant fruit with some green notes and a decent finish- i thought this wine was very nice and probably the most aged USA grown Mourvedre I have had-Would be interested to see where it goes in a few more years. A solid food wine (3391 views) | | | Tasted by wattacetti on 10/1/2010 & rated 84 points: Surprisingly good; still retained fruit and had some complexity though everything finished rather abruptly. Not bad for a New World Monastrell/Mourvèdre. (3540 views) | | | Tasted by pinotsandy on 6/14/2010 & rated 88 points: Quite a nice wine. Judging by the tasting notes it seems that this wine has improved with age. While there is some more of the leather and tar notes on the nose there is still quite a bit of fruit: dried fig, prune, but also some black cherry and for awhile I thought I detected orange peel. Also some nice spice: nutmeg and clove. The tannins are soft and the acidity is medium. Easy drinking on a rainy night. (3910 views) | | | Tasted by Hershey in CA on 11/10/2008 & rated 88 points: Deep earthy flavors, and dark rich green leafy veggies. Slight gameyness made this interesting, perhaps with roasted chicken & garlic. (3656 views) | | | Tasted by Tommy429 on 9/23/2008 & rated 86 points: easy to drink, more vegetal than fruit flavors (2911 views) | | | Tasted by Dark Helmet on 8/8/2008 & rated 87 points: Enjoyed this immensely. Very earthy, almost painfully dry. This doesn't compare at all to a typical California Cab, which surprised me., I found to be wonderfully different. Drink with a steak for sure. (2353 views) | | | Tasted by bccdavid on 4/30/2008 & rated 88 points: Nose: Dark fruits & some vegetables (green peppers). Chocolate dust (like cocoa mix).
Taste: A little Hy-C thin at first. Then a strange taste (not wrong - just different). I'm not sure how to describe. Medium to long finish.
Definately a food wine. I tried it with steak and it matched very well. (2460 views) | | | Tasted by thirtyoneknots on 3/28/2008: Like others said, this IS odd and slightly vegetal, but it's actually more or less balanced in that regard, not half as bad in that regard as, say, a Cab Franc would be (and I like Cab Franc). The flavor profile was actually kind of interesting, but the wine itself was lifeless, no acidity, no tannin to speak of til it was nearly dead, and no finish whatsoever. Such a blah wine, on such an interesting concept. I know it's a tricky grape to do this with, but I'd still be interested in trying varietal Mourvedre is I found a good example. This is not it. (2969 views) | | | Tasted by isaacjamesbaker on 1/18/2008 & rated 79 points: some dark plum flavors and oak, but this didn't sit with me too well. there's a bizarre, funky prune candy flavor that starts on the midpalate and continues to the finish. lacking any sort of complexity. (2697 views) | | | Tasted by Combee1 on 1/16/2008 & rated 85 points: Bought this at Glen Ellen Market for a picnic up at Benziger Winery. Very dark inky purple in glass. Nose of dark berries and rose petals. Very soft and elegant on the nose. Sweet cherry/raspberry fruit wrapped in oak on the palate with a short astringent finish. An easy drinking wine but nothing too complex. C. (2277 views) | | | Tasted by Winepirate on 1/9/2008: Quite fruit-forward & low acid, but went well with some BBQ ribs. For the price, not bad at all. (2852 views) | | | Tasted by Pat & Jen B on 11/10/2007 flawed bottle: Cooked w/ half. The other half verified that this is something we won't buy again. (2919 views) | | | Tasted by Pat & Jen B on 11/1/2007 & rated 74 points: REALLY didn't enjoy this bottle... don't know if there was something wrong with it or not. Tasted very earthy, with a very "green" undertone. Given... this is the first mourvedre we have tried. It may be the varietal that we're not fond of, or it may be this particular label. (2929 views) | | | Tasted by Arch57 on 7/31/2007 & rated 85 points: No match as a follow-up for Two Hands Brave Faces but hey we were still thirsty! (2952 views) | | | Tasted by 5laton on 5/23/2007 flawed bottle: SFwine double blind night (Kev's pad, San Francisco): I don't think "cooked" even begins to describe what went wrong here. An acrid solvent-like aroma emanates from the glass, with some raisiny, madeirized notes. For me, this was clearly DNPIM. But others got past it, so like a lemming i tasted it. Sweet, pruney fruit with a green streak, seriously not good. (3669 views) | | | Tasted by hutch on 5/21/2007 & rated 88 points: Great glycerol mouth feel. Touch of spice and eucalypt. Tannins well integrated, maybe a little lower acidity then I remember from the '03, which I think I liked the most. Good bottle at a great price, though. (3088 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Cline Cellars Producer website
A second website focussed specifically on the Farmhouse range of wines2005 Cline Cellars Mourvèdre Ancient VinesVineyards:
The 2005 Ancient Vines Mourvèdre draws from some of our oldest, most historic and shyest-bearing vineyard blocks. Consistently, this vineyard produces fruit of stunning concentration as the result of sensitive farming practices, the singular Oakley terroir, and a unique cooling band of air that flows in from the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers. By naturally restricting yields to 2 to 3 tons per acre, our old vines achieve sublime expression of the dark, dusty berry fruit quality that is so characteristic of our Ancient Vines Mourvèdre.
Fermentation and Aging:
Individual lots of grapes were harvested separately according to ripeness and balance of acidity. Grapes underwent total de-stemming and a very gentle crushing to ensure a large proportion of whole berries in the must. Fermentation occurred in stainless steel with select cultured yeasts and was maintained at the ideal temperature to aid extraction of flavor and color. The wine was pressed off its skins at dryness before being racked to dark toasted American Oak (approximately 25% new) where it was gently aged for ten months and then stored in neutral cooperage.
Winemaker Comments:
Just remember “Move Over Dear.” Our Ancient Vines Mourvèdre offers distinct chocolate characteristics and a luscious deep plum flavor. Tannins are soft with a substantial mouth-feel. A delicious and unusually delightful wine. Goes great with Pork Tenderloin and Rack of Lamb.MourvèdreClick here to see Mourvedre photographed at Tablas Creek Vineyards in Paso Robles, Calif., in 2005.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson |
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