Mourvedre

Fort Collins
Tasted Wednesday, April 7, 2010 by andtheodor with 486 views

Flight 1 - Cline (3 Notes)

The Cline bottlings usually strike me as rich and extracted and these were no different. It was fun to taste what a single year can do in terms of development of secondary flavors and oak integration though. The Small Berry provoked some strong emotions and good discussion, interesting wine.

  • 2007 Cline Cellars Mourvèdre Ancient Vines 85 Points

    USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Contra Costa County

    Spicy berry fruit nose with some mocha, oak, herbal aspects. Lush and intense on the palate; spicy, chocolate, earth, sweet, full body. Short finish but this improved with air and mellowed into a much softer, rounder wine that I actually liked despite being somewhat of a high extract brute without much complexity.

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  • 2008 Cline Cellars Mourvèdre Ancient Vines

    USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Contra Costa County

    Chocolate cherry candied nose. Juicy, red fruit, primal, young. On the palate plum, oak, clipped finish. This is obviously way too young but ugh, this is more sweet oak fruit juice than wine. The 07 tasted alongside showed better integration so this will probably come around in a year. Maybe see you then.

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  • 2002 Cline Cellars Mourvèdre Small Berry

    USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Contra Costa County

    One of the most profound noses on a wine I have ever experienced, if only for the absolute intensity of the spice. Freshly broken bay laurel leaves, pepper, eucalyptus, but no fruit. The volatility is amazing and keeps me coming back for another sniff...coastal California after a spring rain shower.

    On the palate spicy, dry, crazy chocolate mint, savory depth of bay laurel ice cream. Intact tannins and decent acidity but lack of fruit has me skeptical about the longer term prospects of this wine. Even now it's an oddity; extremely interesting as an example of terroir influence and effective at invoking memories but what do you pair with a wine that tastes and smells like incense and toothpaste?

    Very enjoyable but one glass is certainly enough.

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Flight 2 (1 Note)

Flight 3 - Monastrell (2 Notes)

  • 2007 Bodegas Juan Gil Monastrell Jumilla 83 Points

    Spain, Murcia, Jumilla

    Berry, licorice, herbal, oak nose that come across as sweet and high EtOH. Cocoa powder, eucalyptus, chocolate, cherry, pruny fruit. Full bodied and enjoyable to drink but are there any variety characteristics here? I could be drinking any of Ordonez's bottlings...

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  • 2007 Bodegas Sierra Salinas Mo 73 Points

    Spain, Valencia, Alicante

    Gross sulfury nose that mostly blew off; eggs, burnt earth, brushfire. On the palate tight, bitter, no fruit, short, ugh. This may just need some bottle time but for now, no thanks.

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Flight 4 (1 Note)

Probably my favorite wine of the night, certainly the only one that invites food and multiple glasses. Too bad it's so pricey.

  • 2006 Domaine Tempier Bandol 89 Points

    France, Provence, Bandol

    Decanted 2 hours. Slightly reticent nose; distinctly funky in that charming French way, mushroom, whiff of sulfur, raw italian sausage, fennel, herbs. Licorice, cherry, earth on the palate. Subtle but not without it's charm, this had some style and individuality that I think all the Spanish and Cali Mourvedre bottlings lacked.

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Closing

Overall, mostly good wines that deliver a lot for the price point but lack individuality. The modern style of the Cline and the Spanish wines could fool me into thinking I was drinking any number of varieties

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