LESS IS MORE, BUT NOT MOURVÈDRE

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LESS IS MORE, BUT NOT MOURVÈDRE
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• Cabernet Sauvignon is the king.  Merlot was once
  the usurper, but has fallen back to regroup. 
  Syrah was a challenger for a hot minute but could
  not nail down a global identity. 

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• Speaking from a Big Dog perspective, this also
  eliminates Pinot Noir and Grenache from
  contention due to their frequent femininity (soft
  and supple doesnt win this particular race). 
  But, far off on the distant horizon, there trots
  a dark horse named Mourvèdre.

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• Mourvèdre (AKA Mataro, Monastrell) generally
  produces rich wines with big tannins and a full
  spice rack of flavors.  If Cabernet Sauvignon
  cassis, Syrah bacon fat, and Cabernet Franc
  graphite, Mourvèdres signature is that it
  doesnt have one. 

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• It can be tough to grow, particularly in cooler
  vintages, so most producers use it as part of a
  blend (its the M in GSM).  In France, its
  mostly grown in Bandol (by law, Bandol must be at
  least 50 Mourvèdre) and Southern Rhône,
  particularly Chateauneuf-du-Pape (Chateau de
  Beaucastel being the one CdP producer that
  utilizes Mourvèdre as the primary varietal in the
  blend). 

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• Superb examples, both blended and stand-alone,
  can be found from Eastern Spain, Southern
  Australia, California Central Coast, Washington
  and Arizona.  A recent spin cycle through a trio
  of favorites from current releases yielded
  delicious results, albeit with a lot more
  questions than answers due to the chameleonic
  nature of these wines.

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• The 2010 Tablas Creek Mourvèdre from their Paso
  Robles organic estate led off in spectacular and
  wide-ranging fashion.  Aromatics are
  everywherepickle barrel, Red Hots,
  chocolate-covered green apple, cherry Life
  Savers, boysenberry and gunpowder (basically, if
  you added hot buttered popcorn,

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• its a trip to the movie theatre snack bar)
  (maybe not the gunpowder) (then again, maybe, you
  know your theatre better than me).  On the
  palate, flavors morph from high-toned craisins
  and bitter aperitif (Bonal?) to fresh flowers and
  Red Bull. 

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• Two ongoing aspects that pulled back some of the
  joy were a funky plastique note on the nose and
  an angry acid thing from the youthful tannins. 

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• Like most Mourvèdres, it will likely go through a
  dumb period where it locks up for a year or
  three, then open and evolve into more earth
  tones, less fruit, the plastique disappearing and
  the tannic balance resolving itself.  But
  probably not anytime soon.  Which is why I may
  open another one tomorrow.

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• On a side note, the practice of tasting wines
  that put your palate on a roller coaster ride
  like Mourvèdre tend to hone your thought process
  and sharpen your senses.  For example, during
  this tasting, we commented that the expanding
  trend of checkered flannel shirts, rolled-up jean
  cuffs and stocking caps requires a new clothing
  category Lumbersexual.

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• The 2009 Torbreck Pict Mourvèdre marks a
  righteous return of this Barossa, Australia,
  powderkeg.  It is marked by a touch of elasticity
  to the texture, as if it were fluid (no pun
  intended) (just this once). 

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• The nose is an herbal potpourri bay leaf,
  epazote, cardomam, quassia bark, yerba buena
  (also a helluva band) along with roasted Hatch
  chile, dark maple syrup, chimichurri, and
  Tahitian vanilla bean. 

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• The palate is a veritable well-stocked back bar
  (rhum agricole, aged rye whiskey, crème de
  violette, Nonino amaro), augmented with ripe
  blueberry, black plum, mesquite smoke and
  watermelon rind doused with Peychauds bitters. 

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• There is an earthy, round quality to the
  expressive, lengthy finish.  It doesnt leave you
  wanting, it leaves you guessing.  At one point,
  the Pict was the most expensive Mourvèdre on the
  planet, and, while not exactly a bargain, pricing
  of recent vintages has dropped considerably.

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• In the Bandol region of France, the master of
  Mourvèdre is undeniably Domaine Tempier.  Even
  their rosé is 50 Mourvèdre.  Their red lineup
  includes an estate bottling and a trio of single
  vineyard releases.  All their wines are
  organically farmed, produced with native yeasts,
  bottled unfined unfiltered.  Unlike the
  previous Mourvèdres tasted for this blog, Tempier
  does some varietal blending. 

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• The estate bottling and La Tourtine vineyard are
  70 to 80 Mourvèdre, the La Migoua vineyard 50
  to 65 Mourvèdre, and the house favorite tasted
  for this round-up, Cabassaou vineyard, 95
  Mourvèdre with a splash of Syrah and Cinsault. 
  The 2010 Tempier Cabassaou is an inky monster. 

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• Dark, dank, foreboding and formidable.  Its
  every bit as complex as the previous Mourvèdres
  but not nearly as accessible, as if its secrets
  require codebreaking, of sorts.  The aromas dart
  in and out coriander seed, gumbo filé, damp
  earth, pepita mole, Luxardo maraschino liqueur. 

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• The palate dances from obscure candy notes
  (Italian anise drops, Red Vines rolled in
  grapefruit mint) to vanilla wafers dipped in
  bitter chocolate, overripe Bing cherries, iron
  filings and Fee Bros gin barrel-aged orange
  bitters, all misted by a cloud of Jelinek
  fernet. 

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• The final taste image is one of pomegranate seeds
  removed of the vast majority of their sweetness. 
  Drinking this is like watching the Orson Welles
  classic flick Touch of Evil.  You never really
  know who is on what side of the border, or why
  Charlton Heston is playing a Mexican, terribly
  confusing and wildly entertaining all at the same
  time (plus, Zsa Zsa Gabor!).

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• With Thanksgiving just days away, why not shake
  up the standard and pour some Mourvèdre for the
  family?  Sage stuffing, canned cranberry mold,
  roasted bird, sweet potato itll probably work
  with much of the meal, even if your home cooking
  is somewhat lacking.  It will certainly make the
  football more fun (unless you enjoy watching the
  Bears lose by 30) (and Im from Chicago, so, no,
  I dont).

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