Tag Archives: Contra Costa County

#TeamMourvedre’s New Mascot

I was very happy to receive this little monster in the mail last week. I think #TeamMourvedre may have itself a new unofficial mascot, courtesy of Bonny Doon Vineyard.

I think he/she needs a name.

Morris?

Maurice?

Morty?

Èd? (avec accent grave, bien sûr)

Feel free to offer your own suggestions.

You may recognize the little guy/gal/beast from the label on this bottle, previously reviewed. As I said then:

I want this on a t-shirt.

(Is anyone in Santa Cruz listening?)

The bottle itself is a half-bottle of Bonny Doon 2010 Mourvèdre “Mon Doux” — a dessert wine (“my sweet”) from old-vine Contra Costa County mourvèdre.

I’m very glad I added this to my club shipment, and can’t wait to see what this little beast has in store.

Oddball Wine of the Week: Cline Ancient Vines Carignane 2007

Carignane is about as unsexy as grapes get. Firstly, it’s a pretty ugly-sounding word. And have you ever heard anybody say, “My favorite wine is Carignane”? I didn’t think so. When it is used, it’s most often in blend, so today’s varietal Carignane from Cline is suitably oddball. And being “old vines” adds a little extra something. Although, now that I think about it, I bet a large portion of the Carignane that exists in California is “old vines” … because who the hell is planting Carignane these days?

Producer: Cline Cellars

Grapes: 100% Carignane

Appellation: Contra Costa County (AVA, California)

Vineyard: Blended from several lots drawn from Cline’s old old old vineyards in Oakley.

Winemaking: Stainless steel fermentation then six months in French oak (35% new)

Alcohol: 15.0%

Price: About $16

Tasting notes: It’s got a meaty/savory aroma. Intense, concentrated cherry/red berry flavors. But it seems infused with more: woodsmoke, herbs, sweet tobacco. Enough acid to rein in the plump fruit. A touch too heavy with the oak treatment, perhaps. But good juice.

Overall impression: I’m enjoying this wine. Maybe Carignane is sexy after all. B

Free association:

Get the reference? Leave a comment, Bender.

Mourvèdre Monday #11: Cline Ancient Vines 2008

If memory serves, Cline’s was the very first varietal Mourvèdre I ever tasted, way back in the mid-90s in the tasting room. If it wasn’t the first, it was certainly the one that made me take notice of the grape. It’s been an old favorite ever since.

Producer: Cline Cellars

Grapes: 100% Mourvèdre

Appellation: Contra Costa County (AVA, California)

Vineyards: Cline has some of the oldest Mourvèdre vineyards in California, head-pruned old vines in sandy soils. I believe the oldest (120-ish year old) vines go into their ‘Small Berry Mourvèdre’ bottling, but this Ancient Vines bottling includes 80+ year old vines.

Vintage: 2008

Winemaking: The wine spent 10 months in dark-toasted American oak, 25% new.

Alcohol: 14.5%

Price: $18 from the winery, but you can probably find it closer to $15 at retail (as I did).

My tasting notes: This wine starts with dark fruit, cocoa powder (like when you dump a packet of Swiss Miss in a cup and that little mushroom cloud of cocoa dust erupts) and a savory/meaty/smoky quality on the nose. Nice. More juicy dark fruit flavors (dark cherry mainly) on the palate, with a latte-like creaminess and a faintly herbal note. The mouthfeel is slightly sappy and the tannins are unobtrusive, but without leaving the wine feeling flabby and unstructured. This wine put a smile on my face.

Overall impression: It’s always nice when the new vintage of an old favorite lives up to your memory of it. If you haven’t tried a Mourvèdre or haven’t found one you like yet, I think this is a great place to start. B+

Free association:

More info:

In addition to the Small Berry Mourvèdre I mentioned above, Cline uses the grape in it’s Cashmere blend (which I find to be reliably good) and also produces a Mourvèdre rosé and a Late Harvest Mourvèdre (neither of which do I recall ever trying, believe it or not, unless it was at the tasting room many years ago).

A couple of ratings on CellarTracker (avg 90.5). Can’t find any other blogger reviews yet.

Cline Small Berry Mourvedre 2005

Cline_SmallBerry_Mourvedre_05_FrontLabelAs I’ve noted in earlier posts, I’ve been a big fan of Cline wines since my very first trip to wine country in the mid-90s. Theirs was my first introduction to Mourvèdre and I’ve been a “Mourvèdre-head” ever since.

Producer: Cline

Grapes: 100% Mourvèdre

Appellation: Contra Costa County

Vineyards: From a 9-acre block of 100+ year old vines in sandy soil. Dry-farmed (no irrigation) and head trained (not trained onto a trellis system). There are eucalyptus trees near the vineyard, which show up in the profile of this wine (see below).

Winemaking: Fermented in stainless steel, then 15 months in medium-toast French and American oak barrels (a mix of new and used).

Alcohol: 14.5%

Price: This wine retails for around $32, I believe.  (I purchased it via Cline’s Pendulum Club.)

My tasting notes: Wow – the aroma of this wine leaps from the glass and all I can think of is Andes Candies – you know, those foil-wrapped chocolate and mint candies. (My wife says it reminds her of Mystic Mints.) Some red fruit as well, but the chocolate/mint really dominates. On the palate, it’s soft-textured, plush even. Red and blue fruit flavors with a minty cool finish. Wild stuff.

Overall assessment: I’ve had several prior vintages of this wine and the mint always stands out (more strongly in this vintage than any I can remember tasting). It comes from the eucalyptus trees near the vineyard. If you’re dubious, there is science supporting this. That clear expression of the vineyard site is exciting to me. The flavor profile may not be for everyone, and I can’t say it’s a strong value, but it’s a distinctive wine that I look forward to trying every year. B+

Free association:

AndesCandies

More info:

The winery’s tech sheet.

Tasting notes at CellarTracker.

Cline Ancient Vines Mourvedre 2005

I’ve opened several bottles from Cline recently and I was in the mood  for this Mourvèdre.  Cline is one of the few Cali producers that focuses on this grape and they’ve got some historic old vines to work with.

Producer: Cline CellarsMV05AV

Grapes: Mourvèdre (100%, I think … but it’s not stated on the label or tech sheet)

Appellation: Contra Costa County

Vineyards: While Contra Costa County is generally very hot, the vineyard site for this (and other Cline wines from the appellation) are cooled at night by the adjacent San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers.

Aging: 10 months in American oak (25% new), dark toast, before being transfered to neutral barrels.

Alcohol: 14.5%

Price: I don’t recall what I paid for through the club, but these usually retail around $15.

My tasting notes: Candy on the nose, plus mint and maybe tobacco. More candied fruit on the palate. Like if Now & Later made a flavor called “chocolate-covered sugarplum.”

Assessment/score: The old-vine intensity manifests in a very candied way which is a bit “too much.” I don’t recall this in past vintages of this wine. For me, this is a C+ tonight.  I’d drink it again (it may mellow with more time in bottle), but if I were buying, I’d look for other vintages. I’ll look forward to trying the ’06 or ’07.

Free association:

candywarehouse_2063_703155137
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Bonny Doon DEWN Mourvèdre 2003

BonnyDoon_Mourvedre2003Mourvèdre has been a favorite of mine for a long time, probably due to my early attachment to Cline Cellars (see previous posts), one of the few California wineries to focus on the varietal. I liked (and still like) its ability to produce dark, brooding fruit flavors with an Old World earthiness. Nice write-up on the grape here.

Bonny Doon Vineyards is a wine geek’s dream. Not only do they champion “ugly duckling” varietals and innovative techniques (biodynamics, screwcaps, putting grapes in a freezer to make ice-wine), but “president-for-life”/winemaker Randall Grahm is as interesting as they come. Cleverness coats everything they do, from the wine labels to the names of the wines to the winemaker’s notes (which will send you to Google to try to understand all the literary/philosophical/scientific references). I used to belong to their DEWN (Distinct Esoteric Wine Network) wine club, which they use for their most experimental efforts. In the 2 years or so that I was a member, I received a grenache blanc, a grignolino d’Asti, a spumante of erbaluce, a barbera/arneis, dolcetto, cinsault, chenin blanc, cab franc, barbera, an angelica and more. Good geeky fun and some very tasty wine.

Producer: Bonny Doon Vineyards (for its DEWN wine club)

Grapes: 100% Mourvèdre

Appellation: Contra Costa County (AVA, California)

Vineyards: old vines in the Sacramento River Delta region

Aging: unknown

Alcohol: 14.2%

Price: Not sure. Part of my DEWN club shipment in Feb. 2005 … probably $20-25

My tasting notes: Dark purple color, but not opaque. Roasted fruit and meaty/animal aromas on the nose. In the mouth, it is medium-bodied with red and black fruit flavors framed with earth and mineral characteristics. Good acidity and a lengthy finish.  This wine rewards contemplation, and I’m enjoying it more and more with each taste.

Assessment/grade: This wine has lots of interesting earthy/mineral/meaty notes while retaining an appealing fruit character.  That makes it a winner for me.  B+/A-

Free association:

1242416898746945

Cline Bridgehead Zinfandel 2006 Contra Costa County

Cline_Bridgehead06_withgrillYesterday was Independence Day (I wish people still called it that instead of  “The Fourth”) and so that means I, like millions of others, BBQed. Pork shoulder smoked for 5 hours with a mix of Jack Daniels oak chips (made from used aging barrels) and applewood.  Pulled the pork into tender shreds and put on a bun and dressed with sauce and coleslaw on top, Memphis-style.

It’s become cliche in wine circles, but BBQ and Independence Day means Zinfandel. While not a truly native grape varietal, nowhere else is Zinfandel as important, or historic — some of the oldest vines in America are Zinfandel. And I love the stuff. My second wine epiphany was a bottle of Bannister Zinfandel from the Rochioli vineyard (mid-90s vintage) that I had at Bistro Ralph in Healdsburg. That bottle made Zinfandel my favorite varietal and I’d say Zin has been the most common varietal in my wine history ever since.

Cline is also near and dear to my heart.  On my first trip to wine country (the same trip where I had the Bannister), Cline was our first stop of the first day. Though I was still fairly new to wine, I was already geeking out. I was a proud disciple of the ABC crowd (anything but Chardonnay) and was avoiding Merlot well before Paul Giamatti told me to. So Cline was perfect for me. They focus on Rhone varietals and Zinfandels from old vines vineyards (geek heaven). I joined their club after that first visit and have been a regular drinker of their wines ever since.

Bridgehead is one of three single-vineyard Zins they produce, all from the Contra Costa County appellation east of San Francisco.  While the county is generally very hot, these vineyard sites are cooled at night by the adjacent San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers.  These are some of the oldest vineyards in California up to 120 years old.

Producer: Cline Cellars

Grapes: 100% Zinfandel

Appellation: Contra Costa County (AVA, California)

Note the very sandy soil in the photo below. It apparently keeps the phylloxera louse at bay. It also forces the vines to send roots very deep in the soil for nutrients. Many winemakers claim this leads to a greater sense of terroir in the wines.

Cline's old vines vineyards in Contra Costa CountyCline’s old vines vineyards in Contra Costa County

Vineyard: Bridgehead vineyard; sandy soils, head-trained and dry-farmed

Aging: 11 months in oak (new & used, medium dark toast)

Alcohol: 14.5%

Price: I believe this bottle retails for around $28.  (I got it through the winery club.)

My tasting notes: Deep color. Strong chocolate aroma, more like a tootsie roll than actual chocolate. Also some mint. Sweet berry fruit in there as well. The alcohol is strong in the nose (a bit like paint thinner). Very extracted blackberry flavors on the palate with sweet tobacco and minerality. Good tannins and pleasant mouthfeel. While there are some interesting aromas and flavors in here, it somehow comes across a bit simplistic.

Assessment/Score: I think this could use some more time in bottle to maybe dial back the extracted fruit and let the other notes meld into something more nuanced. I didn’t enjoy this as much as the 2003, which wasn’t exactly nuanced, but had more “deliciousness”. BBQ may not have been the best match for this particular Zin. A thick, peppery steak probably better. I’d certainly drink this again, but won’t be stocking up. B-

Free association:

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