Bought a couple of each to try…got a nice note from owners about holding them…popped them upon receiving them, can’t help myself.
First out of gate was 2016 Newfound Grenache, Scaggs Vineyard, Mt. Veeder, Napa Valley labelled 13.9% alc…definitely on the lighter side of Grenache but not lacking flavor or grip. Nose of herbs, earth, spice and red and black fruits with nice florals. Palate is smooth and lithe, has Grenache character with a bunch of mountain character with palate cleansing acidity. Really solid bottle of wine.
Second was the 2016 Newfound Mourvédre, Scaggs Vineyard, Mt. Veeder, Napa Valley again labelled at 13.9%…and again on the leaner less extracted side of Mourvédre but not lacking character or flavor. Nose of tar, earth, licorice and black cherries and plums. Palate has a good lick of acid, red and black fruits, and a depth that gives it real energy and balance. Solid bottle of wine.
Had never had these but saw them on board and when I went to site they were $35 a bottle, will re-buy both, impressive Audra and Matt.
Thanks for posting. Never heard of this producer.
Thanks for the tasting notes, Kris!
Scaggs Vineyards discontinued their production of the “Montage” Rhône-style red blend a little while back, and Newfound Wines was established shortly thereafter, with the original winemaker at the helm.
I sent some “Mourvèdre Appreciation Social Club” interview questions via email to Matt Neumann, but have not heard back yet.
Drew, saw their name on another thread and I have a love of Mt. Veeder. When I saw they made 125 cases, I signed up for giggles assuming some price around $150…when I saw they were $35 a bottle I was all about trying them. So glad I did.
These are great wines. They’ve made me appreciate Rhône variteties in a whole different way.
Mt Veeder Mourvèdre has always been something I wanted to get my hands on. Steve Edmunds’ late-1980’s Mataro/Mourvèdre wines (as well as the Mataro component of Edmunds St John’s 1989 & early-90’s “LCS” red blend) from Brandlin Vineyard’s old-vine plantings are legendary.
More recently, Peter Franus offered two separate vintages of “Brandlin” Mourvèdre. I found on the Premier Napa Valley website a 2011 “Chester’s Cut” blend, composed of Zinfandel, Carignan, Mataro/Mourvedre, etc. I understand that this was a unique, once-in-a-lifetime bottling offered by Brandlin Vineyards (owned by Hess):
A year or two back, I sent emails to wineries in search of the specific location of a 1/2 acre of Carignan reported to exist somewhere on the mountain. I finally found out that the vines also are part of the “Brandlin Vineyard”, interplanted into a really old plot of Zinfandel.
Although the “Scaggs Vineyard” is a newer planting, the site has been biodynamically farmed, and includes Grenache, Mourvèdre, Counoise, and Syrah. Aside from the Scaggs Vineyard “Montage” Rhône-blend, Werzberger Wines bottled about 70 cases of 2011 “Mt Veeder” Mourvèdre - as well as a Counoise - from grapes grown on Boz Scaggs’ property.
I am willing to bet that the varietally-bottled reds from Newfound Wines are killer juice! I hope that the project succeeds for many years to come, as mountain-grown Mourvèdre is supposed to be tip-top. 
Forgot half bottle of Mourvédre on the counter, still going strong and a great blend of balance and flavors. Should make both camps happy.
Drew,
Got 3 + 3 more coming from them. Matt and Audra were super helpful.
I received an email from Matt Naumann of Newfound Wines yesterday…
"Thanks for reaching out and my apologies for getting back to you in an untimely fashion. Audra and I just recently got married 2 weeks back and have been in the throes of wedding planning, vineyard development and brand launch. We bit off a few things in 2018 and I’ve been playing catch up all year it seems!
"Wonderfully insightful questions below and I’ll answer them as best I can. Given that the site was a vision that Boz had when he purchased his property, I can only speak to his history with the varietal and intent when planting.
“Boz and his wife, Dominque, have been close friends with Kermit Lynch, Bruce Neyers, Alice Waters and the Berkeley food and wine scene for a number of years which should explain the initial inspiration behind the varietal mix they decided to plant. Boz recently regaled in a story about a visit that Lucien Peyraud paid to the Napa Valley in the 1980’s and his proclamation that Mt Veeder offered exceptional terroir for Mourvedre after tasting Steve Edmonds’ early bottlings. That was enough to convince him to begin his vineyard project.”
• What Mourvédre Clone/selection have you worked with, and why have you chosen that particular one?
MN: “Boz sourced vine material from his friend Robert Haas at Tablas Creek for his 1-acre planting in 1998. This was a personal decision that had much to do with Boz’s friendship with Robert and the fact the Tablas was trailblazing California at the time with new scion material recently brought to the United States.”
• What special factors in geology, climate, etc, do you find help make Mourvédre a viable grape for your Mt Veeder fruit source at the “Scaggs Vineyard”?
MN: “The ‘Scaggs’ site sits at roughly 1,250-ft above the valley floor at the northern most edge of Mt Veeder. It’s an eastern exposure and a relatively cool site that offers a tremendous amount of sunlight due to the elevation as it sits above the marine layer that typically blankets the valley floor during the early months of the growing season. Temperature swings are less extreme as the inversion layer during the summer months provides warmer nights and enough heat to ripen Mourvedre.”
• What thoughts do you have regarding the relationship between Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvédre; what makes these three so complementary?
MN: “I believe the relationship between Gr, Sy & Mv is two-fold: having much to do with the location in which they thrive AND also juice chemistry in how they naturally compensate for each other’s shortcomings in a final blend. Grenache is much more acidic than Mourvedre and blending the two together is a very natural way stabilize a final wine without having to manipulate the chemistry with synthetic products. Understanding the long history that the varietals have together blending complimentary varietals is one way to offer balance to the final wine given that the modern winemaking is a more recent phenomenon.”
• Why do you think so many winegrowers have had success growing Grenache and Syrah, whereas Mourvédre has proven more challenging in getting mature fruit?
MN: “Mourvedre is extremely late ripening and requires a site of moderate heat but plenty of sunlight and I feel that California offeres loads of potential for the varietal. Why the Napa Valley or other high profile warmer regions in CA are not planted with Mourvedre has more to do with economics and less to do with potential. Regarding vine growing, the grape can be a hog in the vineyard producing generous yields so the viticulture needs to be focused and on point in effort to obtain a solid level of ripeness before the season begins to take a turn.”
• What special considerations do you think are necessary to produce a 100% (or Mourvédre-dominant) wine from this grape in the winemaking process?
MN: “For my project, I found that each varietal carried enough distinction to warrant a mono-cepage. I can’t speak for others, but specific to my tastes, I look for structure and balance. If those two are harmony with one another, I don’t find the need to blend as I find the purity of the varietal quite captivating. I tend to harvest on the earlier side as I do not use synthetic winemaking ingredients for chem adjustments SO maintaining moderate acidity is paramount to avoid the addition of tartaric acid. ‘Scaggs’ Mv tends to be fully ripe between 23-24deg and that allows the pH to be in check at those moderate levels. That said, if there was an imbalance, I’m not opposed to blending, I’ve just found that I have been quite impressed with the varietal wines on their own in my first couple of years working with the ‘Scaggs’ fruit. Most importantly, I try to keep an open mind with my winemaking by simply following the ultimate goal of showcasing time, place and variety. A cliché for sure, but one that provides me with a compass and vision.”
• If you have any other you have any other information, random thoughts, or photographs that you would like to share for the “Mourvèdre Appreciation Social Club” page and the Wine Berserkers forum, please feel free to share!!!
MN: "Drew, I really appreciate you reaching out and I hope that my answers are helpful for your forum. I look forward to keeping the conversation alive!
“My very best,
Matt Naumann”
Newfound Wines website
Mt Veeder Wines website
These are some seriously great wines (one of the few mailing lists I’m on), and Matt and Audra are even better people.
Thanks for the heads up on this as I hadn’t heard about them either. I missed out on the Grenache as it appears to be sold out but I picked up 6 of the Mourvedre. I hope they can hold shipment till cooler weather. Free shipping on 6 bottles was a nice bonus!