VINEgeek

This is the 2nd installment of Mourvèdre Monday. I’ll be posting a review of a Mourvèdre-based wine every Monday in 2010. The first post can be found here.

I picked this bottle up due to the unusual blend of grapes. Mourvèdre is traditionally blended with Grenache and/or Syrah in France and Australia. Combining it with Zin and Petite Sirah is odd and intriguing. Let’s check it out.

Producer: Spann Vineyards

Grapes: 42% Zinfandel, 30% Mourvèdre, 20% Petite Sirah and 8% Syrah

Appellation: The wine is a blend of grapes from a number of different regions so it can only use the general “California” AVA. However, the grapes are sourced from some respected AVAs: The Zin from Dry Creek, Russian River Valley and Mendocino; the Mourvèdre from Russian River; the Petite Sirah from Dry Creek; and the Syrah from Sonoma Valley.

Vineyards: The winery says the various Zinfandel sources are old vines vineyards.

Winemaking: Stainless steel fermentation, then malolactic fermentation in oak barrels. Spent 14 months in French oak, only 10% new.

Alcohol: 14.4%

Price: $18.75 (purchased at Austin Wine Merchant)

My tasting notes: The nose leads with raspberry and creamy oak with Cherry Coke notes. On the palate, the wine serves up very ripe mixed-berry fruit (almost raisiny) in a medium- to full-bodied, low acid framework. I think I can detect the Mourvèdre in a bit of meatiness coming through. Finishes with some black pepper, a bit of tannic presence and a touch of heat.

Overall impression: Despite the inclusion of substantial doses of Mourvèdre and Petite Sirah, the wine comes across to me a bit soft, with a lack of structure. If you don’t like big-boned wines, you might enjoy this wine for the pleasant flavor profile, but honestly, there are lots of cheaper alternatives. C+

Free association:

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremybrooks/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

More info:

1800 cases produced.

Reviews at Cork’d and CellarTracker.

If you like your tasting notes SUPER-SIZED (Now with 50% MORE flavor descriptors!) check this one out. (Good Grape brought this guy to our attention in this recent post and he just so happens to have posted on this wine.)

I thought the name Mo Zin was meant to indicate the blend of Mourvèdre and Zin, but the winery also produces a Mo Jo, which is 50% Sangiovese (sometimes pronounced San-Jo-vay-say), but has no Mourvèdre. Apparently they just like the word Mojo.