Good episode … I enjoyed it.

QTD – Actually some experience with mourvedre from Ridge (Mataro), Australia (D’Arenberg 28 Road) and a whole host from Spain’s Jumilla and Yecla regions. I enjoy them because they are big and somewhat ageworthy.

Happy 2009 – may it be healthy one for you and the Wine Library staff. Also, shocked tosee the collapse of the Jets in the final weeks. It will be curious to see how the favre circus plays out over the offseason. I guess that is one of the negatives with picking him up.

It sounds like the Browns are high on Mangini. Is this good news???

enjoy your show. whatta ya think about Mangini? I live near Paso Robles. it would be fun to hear you do a Central Coast Zin show.

Qotd- never had it but might try if i can find it.

Thanks for the books at Christmas
You ROCK Gary

Thanx

Love the Turkey Flat. Have had it on two occasions and really love it. You’re so right–Mourvedre doesn’t get the recognition it deserves.

QOTD: Love Mouved, especially under its Monastrell alias (or perhaps Mouved is actually the alias, as I believe Spain is its original home?)in Yecla, Jumilla and Alicante. Yummmm, yum.

QotD: Experience with mouvedre is pretty good [meaning positive, not extensive]. Had a South African blend that contained it, and a French as well. Happy with both.

I had more experience with the grape from Spain’s Monastrell – the 06 Jumilla Juan Gil amazed me! Sure, it was sort of over the top, but the bottle still had life after 3 days in an open bottle.

Great show – i agree it’s was sort of old-skool!

I’ve had a few monastrells and one sip of a bandol once, which I enjoyed quite a bit. Good grape, and a lot of the monastrells I’m seeing around these days are super cheap, which is a big bonus!

I have had a lot of different Mouded’s /Monastralls over th years but what I find is that Monastrall from the Jumilla region in Spain is nearly a sure bet – like Sauv Blanc from NZ is nearly a sure bet. Great values fom Jumilla. Try the Juan Gil Monastrell. Great QPR

My favorites with the varietal are from Castano. Real bargains with prices in the $8-14 range. The Castano Solanera, a blend with C.S., ages beautifully – the 2001 is outstanding now.

I’ve been to Yecla and you really can’t beat the Mourvedre from there, or from Jumilla, for great value. Barahonda and Castano are always good, and I’ll second that Juan Gil (silver label) for being absolutely killer. Rosenblum from California makes an interesting Mourvedre for about $15. Very different in character from the Spanish or French Mourvedre.

I’ve had no experience with Mourvedre…..but I will seek out this variety and give it a try….Thanks for another great show!

Another information and entertaining show, Gary! Love the pinata reference…Skittles. LOL Hope to meet you in Boston at the Wine Fest this month!

QOTD: I had the Cline Ancient Vines Mourvedre ’05. I have two points in common with your impression of the ’06: 1. Oaky 2. Gamey taste on the midpalate (I thought more like blood though).

If you put the Bandol up on free shipping, I’d give it a whirl.

QOTD: During the past year, it became a joke between my husband and I — just about every time I said something like, “wow, this is incredible, I love this wine” . . . it turned out to have mourvedre in it. So, now I’ve started to seek out mourvedre and mourvedre blends. I’ve had several Spanish and Washington state mourvedres (we’ve got some nice ones popping up on the radar out here). It might be time for me to look for some Bandol wines next. 🙂

QOTD- never had it by itself but blended together I liked it.

I love that you gave it 93 but suggested not to buy it. I love the juxtaposition.

The shoulder shrugging could be your new signature!

Hmmm – just the Banrock Station Shiraz Mataro – not great – but reasonable if you get it around £3.50. When I lived in Aus 10 years ago — I hated Banrock Station – rough as guts – this aint bad though for the price – and unfortunately, that’s where I roll at the mo.

Great show, always love learning something new. Never actually had a wine with a significant amount of Mourvedre in it (had a few Rhones with a little I think) but looks like I’m going to have to change that!

Qotd – Aside from being aware, in my young days, that it was a component of considerable note in my much loved Rhone reds, from low to high, I began finding it blended far and wide across the Languedoc-Roussillon, often in simpler two-grape combinations, but also in more complex blends. By the early 1990’s, I’d found it both alone, and well blended by great wineries such as Ridge, whose efforts made clear what caliber of great we were talking about. Soon after, I found the limited production Cline Small Berries, which was my favoritest thing till around the turn of the millenium. Small production,low yield, and artisinal craft and treatments work best to make a memorable impression ($20+), but again, Jorge Ordonez (Juan Gill, Finca Luzon, etc.),and responsible Rhone producers can often show the way cost effectively.

Qotd – Aside from being aware, in my young days, that it was a component of considerable note in my much loved Rhone reds, from low to high, I began finding it blended far and wide across the Languedoc-Roussillon, often in simpler two-grape combinations, but also in more complex blends. By the early 1990’s, I’d found it both alone, and well blended by great wineries such as Ridge, whose efforts made clear what caliber of great we were talking about. Soon after, I found the limited production Cline Small Berries, which was my favoritest thing till around the turn of the millenium. Small production,low yield, and artisinal craft and treatments work best to make a memorable impression ($20+), but again, Jorge Ordonez (Juan Gill, Finca Luzon, etc.),and responsible Rhone producers can often show the way cost effectively.

First off, at least 13 Vayniacs at the Brix offline in Summit tried Twisted Oak’s River of Skulls which is 90% Mourvedre and 10% Syrah. Secondly … WTF Alex, you were there. .

QOTD: My experience has been to Mourvedre used in blends. Probably my favorite wine styles come from Southern Rhone and Languedoc/Roussillon both of which can feature mourvedre grapes.

Not quite an answer to the QOTD but I much prefer the Spanish Monastrells in general over Garnachas, the latter of which I find too many with overwhelming rhubard and/or tomato stem notes. Whereas I like the ripe black fruit and tar I find in many Monastrells.

Edwardo

I’m sure I’ve tasted mourvedre lots of times but I don’t recall any specific wines for it!

Gary you should do some classified growth Bordeaux, that would be amazing!

I’ve experienced Mouvedre in Spanish wines as Monastrell and I have also had some Australian GSM blends. I have liked what I have had.