Mourvedre

  • Aromas : black fruits, licorice
  • AKA: Spain as Monastrell or Mataro
  • French wines : Bandol, Gigondas, Chateauneuf du Pape, Coteaux du Languedoc
  • Unblended Mourvèdre wines tend to be deep-colored, highly tannic, somewhat alcoholic, and have “spicy” and sometimes, “gamey” aromas in their youth
  • Originated in Spain as a cultivated wine variety
  • Only grenache outnumbers total monastrell acreage in Spain
  • It is the principal black grape of the five appellations that cluster on Spain’s Southeastern Mediterranean Coast, Almansa, Valencia, Alicante, Jumilla, and Yecla
  • Very well known in the Rhône Valley
  • Wine makers frequently use in blends to boost color and tannin (associated with Cinsault and Grenache)
  • This grape variety resists very well to high temperatures and prefers stony soil
  • It craves heat and survives in locations too windy for other varieties, but can be drought-sensitive
  • Phylloxera nearly drove mourvèdre to extinction
  • Vines took so poorly to grafting that most deemed the results not worth the effort
  • Replanting did not begin seriously until following World War II, 60 years after the devastation, when sufficient vines were developed that adapted to grafting and had consistent production
  • Australian wineries popularized various blends of Grenache, Shiraz, and Mataro as “GSM” wines; the combination has also become common in California