~US$13, 100% Monastrell (Mourvedre), Jumilla, Spain

Fruit forward, with red cherries, strawberries and black raspberries on the nose and palate. Clear oak influence. While soft and juicy, the palate is supported by enough acidity and tannic stucture to hold itself together without feeling flabby. The typical Mourvedre gaminess is absent - and the interplay of big red and black fruits reminded me of a oversized new-world Pinot Noir more than anything else. Some spice notes of cinnamon and allspice towards the finish.

Overall, not a serious geek-out wine, but a tasty value that satisfied. It showed well the 2nd day, but I wouldn’t keep the 05’s around much past 2010. Great with BBQ.

~US$25, 100% Mourvedre, Bandol

I’m usually pretty regret-free and open-minded when it comes to wines - if something I buy doesn’t resonate with me, I can usually imagine/rationalize a ‘right’ situation for the wine - be it more age, food pairings, certain company, etc. so it’s rarely a total loss. Then came along this wine.

The Bandol region in southeast France is known for sturdy, rustic, beastly red wines made primarily from the Mourvedre grape. They also produce world-class Roses - but most are snatched and drunk before they make it to my side of the pond. The lower-tier Bandol reds tend to be more accessible in their youth, so I popped and poured this 2001. Deep deep garnet color. The nose is shy - with black fruits and some soapy, floral flavors hiding in a cloud of alcohol.

Structurally there is decent weight and hint of tannic grip, but the flavors are where everything turns south. Cloying soapy perfume - motor oily and very bitter, the fruit just disappears. There is stale cocoa powder mixed with wet fur (Mourvedre’s gaminess can be really appealing in the right expression) in the midpalate, which is awkward. The alcohol heats everything up and emphasized the bitterness. There is a slight minerality to the end of the finish that is almost distinctive, but the net impression is unpleasant. While this may have sustained heat damage or flaws - it feels to me like this wine was over-manipulated and over-extracted, masking fruit impurities.

My palate changes, like everyone else who drinks wine. I’ve tasted several wines that I wasn’t into at the time, but know I would love now (Ester Nin’s Vinya del Taus 2004 comes to mind) - this seems different. Just unpleasant and uninspiring. Pass on this producer, but I will try some others, and any Roses I can get my hands on.

~$US35, 85% Grenache, remainder Mourvedre, Syrah, etc. Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone, FranceLess opaque than expected, but a nice garnet hue. Killer nose that just gave and gave and gave. The kind of wine you could just sniff and be satisfied for the evening. Explosive red cherries, serious cigar box (like Cuban Bolivars in a cedar cabinet), some herbal tones of basil and fennel and anise. Rich, but not reductive or jammy. The palate showed signs of serious craftsmanship and longevity for a wine in this price range. Medium-bodied, but deeply flavorful and dry, but not tannic. While enjoyable shortly after opening, the wine still was tight after 6 hours of decanting - not tight in a bad way because the flavors were all there the whole time. The wine simple put itself together continuously organizing the tannins, fruit, herbs, wood, acidity, etc in a way that become more and more harmonious.An excellent wine all said and done - one that you might pair with a good dry-aged steak. I think you’d have to enjoy a flavor-profile that favors herbs and cedar with fruit 2nd (I do!) to really enjoy this. This definitely has a long lifespan ahead, and if I get another bottle, I’ll wait till 2010. This is one of those wines, that despite all the recent popularity and hoopla, shows me why C-d-P is so near and dear to my heart. Big thanks to the 3 Wine Guys for the heads up on this bottle.

 ~$20US, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Columbia Valley Washington 

I believe the bottle to be flawed or damaged. Over-oxidized balsamic and grape Robotussin flavor. Disappointing and will reserve judgement on Owen Roe wines until after I try the 2006 ‘Lady Rosa’ Syrah maturing in the cellar. 

~$25US, 51% Mourvedre, 33% Syrah,16% Grenache, Calaveras County

Purple. Juicy, fruity, integrated, with some smoke. Bacon-wrapped plums. Smooth, dense,  and chewey on the palate. Easy to drink due to the quality of the fruit and structure. Coffee and some cocoa through the midpalate. While not the least bit acidic, the tannins and spice give it lift and vibrancy.

Absolutely a new world fruit-driven wine, but done well. Long finish with glycerin, licorice, and mineral-water flavors. A little heavy-handed on the new oak - not obliterating the fruit, but keeping this from becoming a truly outstanding effort.

In any case, I appload the producers in creating something unique- a Calaveras-county(?!)-mourvedre-based-Rhone-style-blend with complexity and style. *%#&@! yeah!

~$28US Carignan 60%, Mourvèdre 25%, Syrah 15%, Languedoc-Roussillon, France

Deep purple. A some clear barnyard poopieness on first opening. Aromatic - after the funk blew off, serious cherry and blackberries. Medium-bodied on the palate, lean, and biased towards acidity. Cherries and red fruits coming through on the palate, a strange mix of fresh acidity and damp, earthy straw. Transitions from a round, chewey entry to a sharper, bright midpalate. Long finish that starts sweet, almost confectionery - but a note of orange-pip-bitteress detracts. The carignan seems to characterize this as a more classic wine, with old-world stoicism - the mourvedre and syrah adding the fruity dimensions. Actually opening up quite nicely for a 5-year old Languedoc-Roussillon - I could see this staying fresh for another 3-4 years.

Overall, very easy to drink and not terribly complex, as long as you are okay with a little old-skool funk. It reminds me of a big, earthy Barbera d’alba, or a simple village Burgundy on steroids. Food required for total enjoyment. It worked with braised short ribs, but would work even better with an rustic wild mushroom risotto or braised pork belly. Well made and distinctive, but I can’t decide if this is rebuy - even at the price I paid (well below the $28 retail), as there are so many Barberas, Pinots, and Rhone-blends out there…

Edit - On day 2 I retasted and I realized that the Siete 7 Navarra I had, at half the price, had just as much to offer…

~$16US 60% Grenache /24% Syrah /12% Mourvèdre /4% Counoise, Paso Robles, CA

This is my first Tablas Creek wine - A joint venture between the Perrin Family of the Rhone, (Chat. Beaucastel) and their longtime importer, Robert Haas. This, their entry-level offering, was a medium transparent ruby. The nose was shy at first but opened with time to reveal syrupy cherry, raspberry, and saline. The palate was medium-to-full-bodied and hot (15.2% ABV difficult to integrate here), but very juicy and lush. A nice surprising minerality and unique maritime character supported the upfront fruitinesss, with some great dried herb notes - oregano and anise. The herbal notes continued to the finish, but the alcoholic bite bittered the final impression.

This is an exciting wine. There are more complex wines in this price point, but there is nothing wrong with a linear, fruit-forward wine when it delivers the goods without going to Candyland. Most importantly, it achieves real character and a sense of place, which is (arguably) the most profound expression a wine can make. It might have been a tad more alcoholic than it’s framework could support, but the overall feeling was a fine counterpoint and challenge to the typical Cotes-du-Rhone.

~$14US Seguret, Rhone, France

A delicious Seguret, selected by the grand dame of the Rhone, Ms. Feraud. This young but ready-to-drink CdR gives off a rich nose of distinctly ripe raspberries, some cherries and a bit of savory herbs and spices (sage and thyme). Broad and velvetly in the mouth, showing a good balance right out of the bottle. Ripe tannins make this easy to drink, but have enough presence to keep everything together, along with some good acidity. The overall feel shows the fruit as the centerpiece, and brings in the French country funkiness as secondary and supporting flavors. The finish is slightly marred by a slight bitterness and a strange iron note, holding this effort back from the WOW range… Not complex, but delicious, a strong value, and an auspicious peek into what the ‘05 Pegau could look like…

A great food companion and a terrific weeknight pop-and-pour. This wine would be a great ‘transition wine’ for someone used to drinking ~$10 Shirazes, looking to move upto the next tier of complexity and flavor. If only these great entry-level-French wines had critters on the label… well….maybe not.

~$9US 90% Mourvedre (aka: Monastrell) /10% Grenache

Fairly opaque ruby jewel tones. Imparts a rich nose of blackberries, white pepper, tobacco, and some wild gamey notes. Very nice texture and balance on the palate - round and viscous, with bittersweet chocolate notes coming through. The tannins are a bit aggressive and drying in the finish, but the wine redeems itself with some restrained oak, vanilla, and a cornbread-like(?!) ending.

This wine has a helluva lot to offer in the sub-$15 category (let alone the sub $10) in terms of character and wine-craft. The Monastrell grape shines through- showing the varietally-correct deep black fruits, alcohol, tannins, and a wild, meatiness. The mouthfeel is where this excels - it is simply stimulating in the mouth. Another great food wine for red meats; it has enough fruit up-front, and balances it with some old-world charm. Hard not to like this effort, especially for the price.

~$40US 70% Mourvedre/ 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, Jumilla Spain

I’ve been waiting to try this, the first Clio vintage, for awhile…This wine has a bit of a cult following and has received some massive ratings. I originally bought the bottle because I thought the label design was gorgeous. Little did I know what was inside was even more remarkable. The color was plum, and ever-so-slightly transparent. A taste just after opening; waaaaaay too young, hot, tannic, and spiky. I decanted for 4-5 hours and tried again…now it was starting to sing. Enormous aromas of violets, iris, dark berries, black pepper and black currant jam on the nose. The floral notes kicked what would be a typical ‘fruit bomb-style’ up a notch into something much more finessed and complex. On the palate Clio revealed itself as a powerful and structured wine. A brazen, mouth-filling attack, big fruits, some oak, tobacco, bittersweet chocolate-covered-cranberries. Firm, mouth-drying tannins after 6 hours(!) make me predict this as a 15+ year wine. Sweet long finish. It paired well with a Korean braised short-rib stew. Wonderful wine; I can’t wait the try the 04 (in the year 2020). Or Clio’s daddy, the El Nido.

Be patient. Massive and fruity, young, sexy, built and seriously fun. Seriously.