Forlorn-Hope GemischterSatz MokelumneGlenVnyd/Lodi (12.95%; 61 cs; 30 different German varieties) 2014: Med.dark gold color; somewhat fragrant/perfumed/floral/carnations slight Germanic/steely/mineral pleasant nose; soft rich/lush fragrant/floral/carnations light mineral/flinty flavor; med. soft/lush/ripe light floral/carnations slight pineapple bit mineral/earthy finish; a pleasant enough rather simple white that needs more acidity; rather dull compared to any GS I’ve had from Austria. $30.00
Forlorn-Hope Mataro RorickVnyd/CalaverasCnty (13.78%; 134 cs; 100% stem inclusion; U/U) 2014: Med.light color; quite attractive earthy/loamy rather plummy/Mourv/mushroomy slight floral/violets light pungent/licorice/herbal/thyme/musky some perfumed nose; lightly tart fairly earthy/loamy quite plummy/Mourv/licorice/mushroomy bit pungent/thyme/herbal slight floral/violets/perfumed flavor w/ light tangy tannins; med.long rather earthy/loamy/mushroomy/portabellos lightly tart bit herbal/thyme finish w/ light gentle tannins; lots of earthy/loamy/mushroomy character like many ContraCosta Mourvs; reminds a bit of Ridge Mataro w/o the oak, some of the Cline SmallBerry Mourv w/o the weight; mostly reminds of the Dirty&Rowdy Mourvs of Hardy’s; quite an interesting/light-weight example of Mourv. $28.00
And a wee BloodyPulpit:
No secret that I’ve followed MatRorick’s wines from the very start. I eagerly buy pretty much everything he pushes out the door. They are always an adventure to taste. Not every one I go head-over-heels in love with…but they’re always “interesting”. Not “interesting” as used as a descriptor for some wine you want to like, but are struggling for something positive to say about it. But “interesting” in the sense as a descriptor that leaves you scratching your head in puzzlement and think " what is this winemaker trying to tell me" and “is there something I’m not getting about this wine”.
His GS is one such wine. I really liked the '13 and was eager to try the '14. It just didn’t do a whole lot for me. The acidity seemed pretty low and it was just on the dull side. Sorta like painting a canvas w/ 30 different colors…what you get is just a canvas that is gray. Will try it again in a few months and see if I understand this wine.
OTOH, liked the Mourv, first from his Caalaveras vnyd, quite a lot.
GemischterSatz: This is a wine, produced in the locale of Vienna, from at least 3 different/traditional varieties. Often, it’s a field blend from an old/interplanted Austrian vnyd. It’s a genre I particularly like and find the IngridGroiss one of the best around.
Tom
The comparisons to Ridge, Cline Small Berry, AND D&R is a little confusing to me.
I have not tasted Ridge’s Mataro, but I used to love the Small Berry from Cline (Big Break Vineyard?). The violets, earthy fruits, and eucalyptus notes captivated me. As for D&R, I have only had the Familiar, the Evangelho, and the (Skinner) White Oak Flats Mourvedres.
I cannot reconcile the Cline with the D&R, even with little qualifiers like “without the weight”. I am not attacking your opinions, nor trying to invalidate them. Perhaps I am seeking a little clarification.
We all have different spectrum of taste experiences. I will have to try Mr Rorick’s Mourvedre one day. Cheers!
I’ll try to clarify my thoughts, Drew.
These four Mourvs have a certain commonality in that they speak of Mourv…but all with a different voice.
The Ridge, which was the first to call it Mataro, the Portugese name for Mourv, was one of the very first Mourvs in Calif, from Antioch in ContraCostaCnty. It spoke strongly of Ridge
in that it had a lot of Am.oak. But it was different from most Ridge reds in that it spoke strongly of that CC earthy/mushroomy terroir. And it was rather high toned for later-day Mourvs.
The Cline, which often spoke strongly of eucalyptus because of the vnyd location, also spoke strongly of CCCnty w/ that earthy/mushroomy character. But it was a bigger, more bombastic,
more intense expression of Mourv…maybe more akin to some from Paso or SBCnty these days.
The D&R Mourvs, of which I’ve only had some 4-5 examples, is a lighter, more elegant, more nuanced expression of Mourv. But often still has that same earthy/mushroomy
character you get in CC Mourv…even when they don’t come from CCCnty.
The F-H Mourv reminds me of CCCnty Mourv in that it has some of that earthy/mushroomy/loamy character. But it also had a high-tomed/floral character that reminded me more
of the D&R Mourvs than anything. Does it express CalaverasCnty terroir?? Beats heck out of me…I wouldn’t recognize CalaverasCnty terroir if it hit me upside the head.
So they all four speak of plummy Mourv and all four display earthy/mushroomy/loamy character I find in CCCnty Mourvs. But they all speak it w/ a different voice & accent.
Does that make it crystal clear for you, Drew?? Yeah…like right!! I’m just trying to describe the F-H Mourv stylistically…and not doing a very good job of it.
OK…let me be absolutely precise…F-H Mourv = 91. Does that help you more???
Sorry, Drew…not trying to give you a hard time…just trying to clarify my take on the wine.
You have definitely made your point. I love what you are saying. The Contra Costa Mourvedre wines I have tasted are as you say.
The D&R sharing some of that element - dried mushroomy earthiness and a (red) plum note - I get. I guess I was too tied up in the associations of full-bodied vs light-bodied reds.
Your comments actually make me think a little about Mr Caparosa’s defense of Lodi Grenache - that cooler vineyard sites are not a requirement for the production of fresh-tastingwines.
Maybe it’s only because I happened to read that blog post yesterday…
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