Bonny Doon 2010 Old Telegram (100% Mataro/Mourvèdre)
#vinegeekapproved #mourvedremonday #vinegeek @bonnydoonvineyard
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Tag Archives: #TeamMourvedre
Khal Drogo Says: Keep Calm And Drink Mourvèdre
It’s nice having Khal Drogo on #TeamMourvedre!
This wonderful image comes from the people behind Game of Rhones (why didn’t I think of that name!), a Rhone-focused wine event in Melbourne, Australia. Check out the website; they’re really all-in with the Game of Thrones theme. Oh, and the wine sounds awesome, too. I only wish I wasn’t on the other side of the world.
Hidden message? If you look closely, you can see the word “Hodor” just to the right of Drogo’s face. We’ll take Hodor on #TeamMourvedre, too.
“This is not a grape for amateurs.”
It’s another #MourvedreMonday, but I don’t have a wine review to post. So I’ll share this fun video of Paso Wine Man singing the praises of my favorite grape for Paso’s 2013 Varietal of the Month Series. (I’ll have to forgive the awkward pronunciation…) #TeamMourvedre
SFGate’s Top 100
SFGate’s Top 100 Wines of 2012 hit the interwebs yesterday and is a must-read. It’s loaded with intriguing wines to seek out, courtesy of Jon Bonné (@jbonne)
Only one varietal Mourvèdre made the list, but it’s one I’ve been itching to get my hands on — the 2011 La Clarine Farm Cedarville Sierra Foothills Mourvèdre, described thusly:
Mourvedre doing a delicious impersonation of Jura wine.
Yum.
– – –
FYI, there are two other wines on the list with Mourvèdre in the blend:
- 2010 Bedrock The Bedrock Heirloom Sonoma Valley Red
- 2009 Dos Cabezas El Campo Pronghorn Vineyard Sonoita Red
Mourvèdre Monday #26 – Esprit de Beaucastel
I tasted this wine back in the summer, but never got around to blogging my notes. So I decided to dust them off for today’s Mourvèdre Monday post.
Tablas Creek 2008 Esprit de Beaucastel Rouge
Complex nose of cherry/raspberry fruit with a hit of coffee/mocha and mint. On the palate, it is mouth-filling without being overwhelming. It delivers earthy dark fruit and lightly grippy tannins and finishes with a bit of a mineral/minty lift. Fruit-forward, but balanced.
VINEgeek Verdict: Damn good.
38% Mourvèdre
30% Grenache
26% Syrah
6% Counoise
Coolio bona fides:
- grapes from organic estate vineyard
- fermented with native yeasts
- aged in 1200-gallon French oak foudres
Price: $40-45
Laya 2010
I tasted an interesting little wine recently, the Bodegas Atalaya Laya 2010 from Spain’s D.O. Almansa, a blend of 70% Garnacha Tintorera (which is Alicante Bouschet) and 30% our good friend Monastrell. I didn’t record any tasting notes, but I quite enjoyed it and thought it had a lot going for it at around $10. Wine Enthusiast names this a Best Buy in this Stars of Southern Spain article. (They mistakenly – I think – list it as mostly Garnacha rather than Garnacha Tintorera. It is confusing because the label says Tintorera, but the website says Garnacha. I choose to trust the label.) Also, check out this post on the wine at the Excellent Everyday Wines blog.
While it’s only 30% Mouvèdre/Monastrell, let’s make it today’s Mourvèdre Monday recommendation.
Image is of 2011, but looks the same as 2010. (source)
Asimov Tastes Monastrells
A must-read for #TeamMourvedre / #TeamMonastrell geeks, like myself.* (It’s from last week, but I decided to wait to post it until today for a little Mourvèdre Monday action.
As a result my expectations were not high, so I was pleasantly surprised by how many of these wines I liked. Naturally, we found a few in the thick-and-jammy style, but they were far and away the exceptions. Many more of the wines seemed to possess an earthy, distinctly Spanish point of view. That is to say, they were full of dark flavors reminiscent, perhaps, of plums and licorice, but without the brooding, sometimes savage character of Bandol.
*Watch out for the NYTimes paywall. I’ve been reading so much of Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight blog this election season that I’d reach my limit of free articles, so I had to switch computers to read the Monastrell article.
Mourvèdre Monday #25: Luzon 2009 Jumilla
I posted a photo of this wine bottle recently (via my Instagram account), but never commented on the wine itself. It’s a 70/30 Monastrell/Syrah blend from the Jumilla region of Spain. It sells for around $8-10. The nose is fresh, bringing red fruit with an herbal edge. On the palate, it’s like a black cherry Jolly Rancher dropped in rock dust. It’s not going to knock your socks off, but it delivered more interestingness than I expected for $8. Try it.
And I dig the label with the overlapping L-U-Z-O-N…
Never De-Cline A Fine Mourvedre
Awesome sign out front of Cline Cellars today. As regular readers know, Cline has been a favorite of mine since I got into wine, and one of the first to turn me on to Mourvèdre way back when.
(After adopting a mascot last week, perhaps this could be #TeamMourvedre’s new motto.)
(hat tip)
#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.