Sorry, folks – no Mourvèdre Monday post today (or last week, I know). Things are going to be a bit sporadic on the blog for a while with baby girl due very soon.
In the meantime, here’s an episode Gary V. did last year on Mourvèdre:
Monthly Archives: April 2010
What Would LOST Characters Drink?
This is the first of what may become a series (irregularly published) called What Would They Drink? where I’ll pick characters from a movie, TV show, book, etc. and say what kind of wine they’d drink if they were wine drinkers. Hilarity will surely ensue.*
* Actually, this is almost certainly only interesting to me.
LOST Characters
Jack: Something about that old Bronco he drives makes me think he’d drink off the beaten path, appreciates older things. Maybe properly-aged Hunter Valley Semillons.
Kate: Living on the run, Kate probably buys her wine at the convenience store. Rex Goliath Chardonnay.
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Sawyer: During all his time as a con-man seducing the ladies, he’s secretly developed a fondness for ice-cold Pinot Grigio.
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Locke/Black Smoke Monster: Cahors
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Hurley: Chateau d’Yquem. Sweet and yummy and he’s got the money.
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Benjamin Linus: He seems like the German Riesling type to me.
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Richard Alpert: Madeira, the longest-lived wines in the world.
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Desmond: Moriah Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
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Rousseau: ’85 Rhone
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What do you think? Please offer up your own thoughts in the comments.
Mourvèdre Monday #12: Trio Vintners 2006 Yakima Valley
Trio Vintners, a collaboration between winemakers Tim Boushey, Denise Slattery and Steve Michener, is one of the “incubator wineries” set up at the Walla Walla Regional Airport. They are a small lot producer and one look at their lineup lets you know they’re doing some interesting things: Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Syrah, Carménère and this Mourvèdre. Nary a Cab or Merlot in sight.
Producer: Trio Vintners
Grapes: 96% Mourvèdre, 4% Syrah according to the label. But on the info sheet they sent along with the bottle, there was this story…
Another thing that attracted us to this vineyard was that, as we walked through the vines, we noticed that every so often there was a vine with white wine grapes on it. Grower Art den Hoed told us he was surprised to learn that he ad been sold about 1% Gewürztraminer plants when he bought the Mourvèdre! He offered to pick around them at harvest but we insisted on preserving this accidental ‘field blend’ as part of the wine. So even though we don’t say it on the label, they’re in there, adding a flavor component that is unique.
I love them for that.
Appellation: Yakima Valley (AVA, Washington)
Vineyards: The Mourvèdre (and Gewurztraminer) came from the den Hoed Vineyard at 1300 feet above Yakima Valley. The Syrah came from the Rizutti Vineyard, which is in the Walla Walla Valley AVA.
Vintage: 2006
Winemaking: As they put it, they “aged the hell out of this wine.” 20 month in oak, a mix of new Hungarian, 2nd & 3rd year American and neutral French barrels.
Alcohol: 14.5%
Price: $26 from the winery
My tasting notes: A very pretty nose. Soft berry fruit lifted by sweet spice/tobacco shop aromas and some floral accents (from the Gewürztraminer, perhaps?). I pick up a little smoke as well. I kept sniffing this one for a good 5 minutes before I took the first sip. On the palate, it pops with high-toned mixed berry fruit with a savory, peppery edge that I really like. An undercurrent of wet-rock minerality peeks through every now and then. The oak makes it’s presence known as well. Finishes long, but the alcohol shows in a cool-mint kind of way.
Overall assessment: The nose is seductive and the wine delivers a lot of what I enjoy in Mourvèdre: the savory, earthy accents to the Zin-like berry fruit. I really enjoyed this, my first Washington Mourvèdre. B
Free association: They had me at Gewürz…
More info:
This bottle was a press sample provided by the winery.
Only 153 cases produced.
Thea over at Luscious Lushes reviewed this wine and liked it, too. Josh at DrinkNectar reviewed Trio’s 2007 Tempranillo and 2007 Carménère.
On the Mourvèdre front, Trio also uses the grape in a very interesting blend that they call Riot. It’s Sangiovese, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Cool.
You wine bloggers headed to Walla Walla for WBC2010 should definitely check this guys out.
Chasing Venus Sauvignon Blanc 2008
A few days before the big #SauvBlanc twitter tasting a few weeks back, I found myself without any Sauv Blanc in the house (a pretty rare occurrence). I didn’t have time to make a run to one a proper wine shop, so I picked up something on my weekly grocery shopping trip. I don’t recall why I picked this one. Must have been the only NZ option they had at my price point that I hadn’t already tried. So how was it?
Producer: Chasing Venus, from Crew Wine Company
Grapes: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Appellation: Marlborough, New Zealand
Vineyards: I like it when producers name the specific vineyards and explain what characteristics in the wine come each. So I’ll reproduce their blurb in full:
Chasing Venus wines are produced from grapes grown on small family farms in the acclaimed Marlborough appellation. Griggs Vineyard is situated in an old riverbed against the eastern hills of the appellation. The gravelly, well-drained soils promote pronounced grapefruit flavors. The Race Track vineyard is, not surprisingly, next to a racetrack west of the town of Blenheim. The heavy clay soils contribute to the herbal aromas found in Chasing Venus. Comely Bank is just south of Blenheim in the alluvial soils of the valley. These grapes produce the layers of kiwi, lime and mineral notes.
Vintage: 2008
Winemaking: 100% stainless steel fermentation
Alcohol: 13%
Price: About $15
My tasting notes: The color is a bit yellower than many Sauvignon Blancs. On the nose, there’s…DAMN!…green peas! I hate peas. Little balls of pure evil, I say. A bit of citrus and some sort of metallic aroma. But my mind is locked on the goddamn peas. I collect myself and take a taste and I get plump orange fruit, grass and…SHIT!…more peas! A bit of soft spice and a lemon pith note. But again, all I can think of are the peas.
Overall impression: I actually think I might like this alright if it weren’t for the godforsaken peas. I think it’s pretty well made and when I could ignore the peas momentarily, some of the other flavors were kinda nice. I’d probably call it a solid B-. If you don’t think peas are the devil’s work, you might like this bottle. But I know for my palate, I would never buy it again, so I’m calling it a C-.
Free association:
More info:
6100 cases produced.
A few reviews at Grape Stories/CellarTracker (avg: 85) and one review at Cork’d (89).