Don’t look now, but here at Two Terrier Vineyards, we may be leading a trend. (If so, it’s going to be the first time we’ve been ahead of the curve.) Seems the San Francisco Chronicle is declaring this The Year Mourvedre Breaks Through. (Okay, the San Francisco Chronicle stopped producing anything close to real news decades ago, but they’re always one of the go-to sources for the latest in the wine world.) A Mourvedre Breakthrough? We’re ready with enough planted to give us more than a ton of Mourvedre grapes. And that’s in a year when we’re dropping 50% of the fruit just to give our young vines a chance to bulk up.
We scrubbed down the whole wine cellar in preparation for the upcoming harvest.
You might not know Mourvedre by name, but if you’ve ever enjoyed a great Rhone wine, such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape, or a blend such as one from Bonnie Doon or Tablas Creek, you’ve had it as a Rhone style blend. Some vineyards, such as one of my favorites, Unti, are serving up Mourvedre as a single varietal. In taste, think of the heartiness of a Zinfandel with more depth and complexity, less “slap you in the face” fruitiness. The Chronicle talks about “brighter berry notes at times, darker hues at others. Trademark leathery, animal nuances.” As our Spokes Terriers will tell you, we love those “animal nuances” in our wines around here. Mourvedre also has a special affinity for Grenache and that’s one of the classic blends we’ll be going for. Around here, we refer to it as a Châteauneuf-du-Pup.
Find out more about Mourvedre here from the vintners at Tablas Creek. Incedentally, we got our grape cuttings and rootstock from Tablas Creek, which in turn got theirs from the famous Chateau de Beaucastel, one of the premier Rhone producers. Guess that makes us second cousins once removed!
We’re expecting big things from this year’s harvest. And last year wasn’t bad.
So put down that tired glass of Merlot and try something different and, I think, more sophisticated.
My American Mourvedre favorites, which you should be able to find easily in a well-stocked grocery store or wine shop are:
Unti Dry Creek Valley Mourvedre (single varietal). By the way, here’s my account of our recent visit with Unti pere et fils.
Cline Cellars Ancient Vines Mourvedre (single varietal)
Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel (a Rhone style blend)
Bonnie Doon‘s Le Cigare Volant (another Rhone style blend)
That will have to hold you until Two Terrier Vineyards gets up to speed producing our Mourvedre single varietals and blends. And don’t even get me started on Mourvedre Rose. That’s a whole other taste treat.
We’re just buzzing with the idea that we might be on the crest of a Mourvedre trend.
This is very exciting and I know nothing about wine. The wine industry has grown by leaps and bounds here in Oklahoma, which has also been exciting to witness. We’ve visited a few vineyards – nothing like California, but still great. One vineyard has my very fine wine for Christmas.
Congratulations! Good luck (or is it bad luck to say that?) with your newest edition.
Please educate me on how to properly pronounce Mourvedre.
I’m from Redneck Red and White Trash White wine country.
http://www.redneckwines.com/
There aren’t many wine sippers here; but there are some. Ice cold beer is the thing that makes us want to cheer.
Congratulations and continued success.
What have you named the hawk?
I’ve never heard of “animal nuances” in wine, though I’ve been known to howl after a few too many sips. But I simply can’t wait to try Châteauneuf-du-Pup!
this brings back memories of searching for Chateauneuf du Pape for my father years ago. I do like your name better though 😀 — you are a trailblazer!
Maybelline. Pronounce Mourvedre as Moor-ved-rah. But as it gets more popular, it will probably get a nickname. Who calls Cabernet anything but Cab these days?
As for Redneck wines, note the ATV in the corner of the wineglass picture. Just to show you where we stand on the issue.
There is another naming thread going on at Facebook (I can’t seem to get my online worlds to coincide). And with the addition of the female hawk, we have another wrinkle, the need for female names.
So far, the trend is toward naming them after famous political hawks such as Condi, Henry or Barry.
I’m sort of leaning toward Kyril and Kitty just for the alliteration.
But LBJ and Lady Bird was another good suggestion.
You should try sanguinating your mourvedre or whatever it’s called to make a little rose – always a pleasure to have around in summertime – and strengthen the red! One ton won’t fill two barrels will it? That way you’ve got some rose on hand and enough left to top up the ullage without having TOO much extra around. Have you tried Ravenswood Rosato?? It is PHENOMENAL! I’ll ring you tomorrow. You should come check out my field being attacked.