Mourvedre (TTTG blind tasting)

Tasted Thursday, November 20, 2014 by indiscriminate palate with 643 views

Flight 1 (2 Notes)

  • 2013 Bedrock Wine Co. Ode to Lulu Old Vine Rosé 88 Points

    USA, California

    Color is a beautiful, fairly-light rose. Light-bodied, pretty, strawberry. Quite dry. Perhaps a bit of mineral on the palate. Finish of strawberry and grapefruit. Quite enjoyable. Substantially better than the 2013 Tempier (Bandol) rose had alongside it. Good.

    One day update: Very pretty nose of strawberry, flowers; reasonable length.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2013 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé 83 Points

    France, Provence, Bandol

    Quite young/spritzy on open and throughout the first couple of hours. Strawberry, watermelon, and grapefruit. High acid, but little less of major interest. A bit disjointed/weird. The group unanimously preferred Bedrock's rose. Tasted over four hours.

    One day update: the weird, astringent character remains, despite pretty red fruits and grapefruit. Just okay.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 2 (2 Notes)

  • 2012 Dirty and Rowdy Mourvèdre Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard 84 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

    Light ruby. On open, a pronounced nose that initially exploded from the bottle of strawberries, cranberries, pepper and florals. Very pretty nose. Silky palate, showing a bit of Mourvedre’s wild streak, but on a light, elegant frame of strawberries and cranberries. Very little tannin; racy. Quite pretty. Not a very long finish. After 6-8 hours of air, predominantly strawberry. Enjoyable, but nondescript.

    One day update: Very little change in aroma or on the palate. Red fruit, minerality; short finish. Not very exciting.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2012 Dirty and Rowdy Mourvèdre Old Vine Rosewood Vineyards 86 Points

    USA, California, North Coast, Redwood Valley

    Light ruby color. On open, slightly less pronounced nose than the SBH. Richer and a little more structured, but also perhaps a bit less interesting than the D&R SBH. Velvety mouthfeel. Richer/darker red fruit, spice, slight savory notes. Very nice mouthfeel. This seemed like it had greater depth, but less interest than the SBH. In terms of general attitude of the tasting group, the bottle was nearly full at the end. Pretty, but non-descript.

    One day update: The nose is beginning deliver; very pretty red cherry and herbs. This comes across almost Chambolle-like, though lighter and less structured. I am enjoying this a lot more the next day, but would never have guessed Mourvedre.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 3 (2 Notes)

  • 1995 Ridge Mataro Pagani Ranch

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley

    I have liked every Ridge Mataro up to now. I have *loved* several. This one is a weird, disjointed mess. By wine drank, this is nearly last.

    After a couple of days open in the cellar, the wine revealed a bit of what could have been, with some love Mourvedre "funk," deep rich red fruit, herbal notes. Alas, both the VA and the advanced age suggest a less-than-perfect bottle. I have one more which (hopefully) will show better.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 1998 Bonny Doon Vineyard Old Telegram

    USA, California

    Very sadly, this was the worst wine of the night. Perhaps this was faulty, perhaps it was just over the hill. Fairly hot, perhaps maderized. Little to add.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 4 (2 Notes)

  • 2007 L'Aventure Côte-à-Côte Estate 81 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    Medium-dark ruby, very viscuous (it doesn’t have “legs,” it just paints the inside of the glass). On open, somewhat silky mouthfeel; mouth-coating, with obvious alcohol. Some minerality but mostly hot, ripe, alcohol-infused fruit. Even with 12 hours of air, it just seemed hot and disjointed.

    After two days of air, this settled down ever so slightly, but was still primarily very extracted (raisiny) fruit, huge tannin, and a liquor-like finish. No obvious flaws (except serious stylistic biases), but much better wines in the style exist.

    Read 3 Comments / Post a Comment / 3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2005 Bodegas y Viñedos de Murcia Jumilla Sierra Carche 55 Points

    Spain, Murcia, Jumilla

    Medium ruby color. On open, nose of ripe blackberry and dark cherry, herbs, and oak spice. Palate of oaky, roasted black fruit, and Twizzlers. Not much tannin, medium acidity, and a short-medium slightly bitter finish. Even 12 hours later, this was a ridiculously overdone, atrocious, overly extracted, horribly crappy wine. Despite the curiosity factor, well over half the bottle was left after the tasting. Without mincing words, it sucked.

    For those for whom decoding the Sierra Carche saga is meaningful, this is bottle 18230 with back label code L-8114. I suspect that these codes only reveal different degrees of suck. Sadly, I suspect that this is a "good" bottle.

    For science, I had a few sips two days later, alongside the bigger, richer, 2007 L'Aventure. The Carche was atrocious, undrinkable, and without a redeeming feature. No "standard" flaws, but if there were a "worst Spanish wine under $5" prize, this should win easily, were it not for the for the Jay Miller tax.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 5 (2 Notes)

  • 2007 Domaine La Suffrene Bandol Cuvée Les Lauves 85 Points

    France, Provence, Bandol

    On open, spicy berries and forest floor on the nose. Medium-low dusty, gritty tannin, and fairly low acid, noticeable alcohol. Berries on the finish.
    Nine hours later, very pretty nose of red and blackberry fruit, earth. Still fairly high alcohol. Good.

    With a day's air, rich berry on the pretty nose; rich, muddled berries, herbs, and savory notes on the fairly dull palate.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2004 Château de Pibarnon Bandol

    France, Provence, Bandol

    Bright red cherry color. On open, lightly herbal, somewhat inky, with a very short finish. Improved substantially with air. Very rich fruit. Originally, quite hot and alcoholic, but seemed to improve some with air, though heat remained. After eight hours, pretty, but hot.

    After two days in the cellar, this transformed quite nicely. Chocolate, dark fruits, and berries on the nose. Silky palate with a sour cherry and herbal note; more red fruited than I recall on open. I would give this time.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 6 (2 Notes)

  • 2006 Domaine Tempier Bandol La Migoua 92 Points

    France, Provence, Bandol

    This may have been the wine of the night by volume consumed. On open, medium ruby (surprisingly light), wild meaty nose with cherry liquor; huge, exuberant, HOT attack, with a chest-warming aperitif-like finish. Over ten hours, very rich, silky mouthfeel. Chocolate-like, licorice body. Ripe tannin, but with plenty of life. Quite good.

    Only a sip remained the next day, but this continued to impress, with a perfumed aroma and silky mouthfeel. Would certainly hold.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2008 Domaine Tempier Bandol La Tourtine 90 Points

    France, Provence, Bandol

    On open, ruby, a little lighter than the 2006 Migua in the same flight. Somewhat peculiar nose, but interesting attack of herbs, flowers, and red and black berries; earth; funk. Even with air, a lot of funk and richness. In the end, shows *RICH*, *BIG*, and somewhat funky.

    This showed little change over the course of couple of days, with primarily an earthy character and load of structure. Hold.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 7 (2 Notes)

  • 2006 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel Panoplie

    USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

    What a horrible disappointment. We recall this being an example of refined (French) winemaking, but that is certainly not the case here. On open, this seemed big, ripe, and over-extracted. With air, a bit of hope materialized that this wine might be for someone or something of value. No chance that this is confused with CdP.

    Update over two days, still obviously quite ripe and jammy, with some savory/herbal elements. Somewhat sweet/candied attack. Some board members claimed it is in its "dumb" phase or "closed," but it is certainly not shy or lacking showiness. It is just in a style that seems quite a departure from what I recall of older Tablas Creek wines.

    Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 2000 Domaine Tempier Bandol Cuvée Spéciale La Migoua 89 Points

    France, Provence, Bandol

    On open, fairly muted but yummy nose of animal, dirt, earth. big rich wine, red fruit and red meat, savory; the fruit is quite bright and lively; bit of heat. Even after hours of air, surprisingly, the latter (more "modern") Tempiers were preferred to this, which was heavier and less refined. Even after hours of air, remained somewhat disjointed.

    With a couple of day's air, this continues to show the lovely animal/earth character and great acidity. Lacking a bit in complexity.

    Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

×
×