TN: 2010 Lagier Meredith Mondeuse Noir (USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder)

WINE TALK
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  • 2010 Lagier Meredith Mondeuse Noir - USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder (11/19/2012)
    More fun with “Wine Grapes”!!! 14.8% alcohol. Dark ruby red. On the palate, this wine was a ringer for an excellent LM Syrah - - rich, balanced and nice fruit expression with that great pepper bonus.

So what is Monduse? Jancis calls it Monduse Noire" and states that the variety is “either a half-sybling or a grandparent of Syrah.” She goes on to say that “Carole Meredith … is probably the only producer (California) producing the real thing.” Carole herself admits that the family resemblance to Syrah is “strikingly obvious.”

Drinking a wine made by Carole which is analyzed by Jancis makes me feel just brilliant. This is an excellent wine! (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

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Based on CT seems like nobody is doing Mondeuse in California except LM. Carlisle looks to have stopped with the 2003 vintage.

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Great stuff!

Brian Tuite and I visited earlier in the year and Carole took the time to show us the Mondeuse vines, we could tell she was really excited about it…glad to see such a nice TN, look forward to picking some up in the future.

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Mike hasn’t made a Mondeuse (from Twackers) for some yrs now…2003 sounds about right.

But for yrs, FPS/Davis was selling a variety called Refosco (not the recognized Refosco dal PeduncolaRosso) thats was planted
here & there in Calif. Turns out their “Refosco” was mis-identified and is actually Mondeuse. So there are some older wines out there
that were labeled as Refosco that were actually Mondeuse. There was, some yrs ago, a CortiReserve that was labeled Refosco/Mondeuse
(with the Mondeuse name upside down under the Refosco name), about the time the confusion was being cleared up. Made from Refosco/Mondeuse
planted at AtlasPeak. About a yr ago, he had a CortiBros Mondeuse released, made by Trinchero, from the last crop of that Mondeuse/Refosco
on AtlasPeak.
JimClendenan used to make a “Refosco” down in SantaBarbara way. But he now calls it Mondeuse nad blends it w/ PinotNoir. Don’t think
he makes a varietal Mondeuse w/ it. Planted at BienNacido.

Drinking a wine made by Carole which is analyzed by Jancis makes me feel just brilliant.

Well, Mike…maybe you actually are!!! [cheers.gif]
I almost opened one of mine last night to try. You beat me to it, Mike.
Tom

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Smartypants! [wink.gif]

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Carole alludes to the fact that in France, Mondeuse is localized in the far east (Savoie), while Syrah is grown throughout the Rhone Valley. Different regions and different climates. Her experiment at her Mount Veeder estate was to see “how the two wines would compare if we eliminated the environmental variable.” She suggests that “Syrah may have inherited some of its most distinctive traits from the Mondeuse side of the family.”