What, No Mourvedre Appreciation Delegation?

WINE TALK
181

Thanks for your contribution, Matt!

I have bad luck of discovering wines just as they are being discontinued, the winery shut down, or something along those lines. :frowning:

Thomas Coyne was a name I was not familiar with until K&L began offering all sorts of stuff at very friendly prices ($10-15/btl). The wines ranged from a Contra Costa Mourvedre (2012 vintage), Merlot, Zin, “Confluence” Bdx-blend, Syrah, Early Burgundy (Abouriou), and Petite Sirah.

I happened to be a member of the Contra Costa Wine Group, and I believe that it was the organization’s secretary - Mr Al Turner - who provided me with a few biographic details about Mr Thomas Coyne. He was pivotal in the early days of the CoCo Wine Group, a home-winemakers’ club. Coyne also worked at Rosenblum years ago. At some point in time, I thought I had figured out where the fruit was coming from for Thomas Coyne’s CoCo Mourvedre*, but I cannot put my finger on it at this moment. I will keep looking…

Ken Zinns wrote up a winery visit/review in '08 on the Thomas Coyne Winery for the Grape-Nutz site:

http://www.grape-nutz.com/kenz/08_AprPt1.html#thos

Anyway, I believe I still have two of four bottles of Thomas Coyne Mourvedre, as well as one “Early Burgundy”. I wouldn’t expect the Mourvedre to be a long-term ager, but who knows.

Please do continue to share your thoughts and experiences with Mourvedre!!!

  • According to the now-defunct “Co-CoFermented” blog, the Thomas Coyne “Contra Costa” Mourvedre was sourced from Mr Dwight Meadows’ vineyard, which also sells/sold fruit to Rosenblum Cellars, where Mr Coyne worked many years ago.
182

I received a reply to my interview request from winemaker and forum contributor Mr Ian Brand of I. Brand & Family, La Marea, and Le P’tit Paysan!

• Question: What Mourvedre Clone/selection you have worked with, and why you have chosen that particular one?

• Answer: “I’m not entirely sure. I haven’t planted any Mourvedre/Mataro myself. The three vineyards we’ve worked with were already in the ground, although we’ve grafted two other vineyards to feed our rose program. We’ve used cuttings from the Enz vineyard to graft those two. The Enz Mataro represents a distinct genetic line supposed brought over by a Frenchman who planted the first vineyard in the Lime Kiln Valley in the late 1850s. Totally uncorroborated, although there is some funny stuff growing back there. I believe the other vineyards have had Tablas clone and another ‘Mataro’ heritage clone, but I haven’t thought to track that info down.”

• Q: What special factors in geology, climate, etc, do you find help make Mourvedre a viable grape for your fruit source?

• A: “Most Mourvedre vineyards you look at are rose vineyards at best. Some don’t carry enough acid to do even that. Mourvedre is super finicky. It really needs a fortuitous match of climate and soil. The best two I’ve seen are the Enz vineyard and the Antle/Rodnick Farm vineyard. Both have a calcareous element, both have a granitic element, both have warm to hot days with little cloud cover, and both have cool nights. We’ve gotten some good, but generally inconsistent vintages off the heavily calcareous gypsum soils on Spur Ranch, but the drought has really put the hurt on those vines and they’re struggling to rose ripeness these days. Other vineyards we’ve seen that lack the calcareous element, the sun exposure, or the cool to cold nights have lacked the texture, ripeness, or acid/tannin balance to make a red wine. Another part is canopy management. Like Grenache, it needs a head trained or reasonable facsimile thereof so there’s space around clusters, filtered sunlight, etc. I haven’t seen it perform well on a classic, manicured VSP. As such, drier weather is helpful.”

• Q: What thoughts do you have regarding the relationship between Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre; what makes these three so complementary?

• A: “I think Mourvedre and Grenache, especially, are complimentary to a wide variety of grapes. There’s wisdom in conventions of blending, and there’s convention, too. Grenache and Pinot can be pretty complimentary, or Grenache and Tempranillo, or Grenache and Touriga Nacional… Depending on the Syrah, it can be pretty dominant no matter what you put it in. Certain Syrah vineyards are just not for blending.”

• Q: Why do you think so many winegrowers have had success growing Grenache and Syrah, whereas Mourvedre has proven more challenging in getting mature fruit?

• A: "I think Mourvedre is very finicky in its siting. It’s tough for me to put my finger on it in a wider context as I specialize in such a limited geographic area, and because the Mourvedre vineyards I’ve seen that work fall into a very individual niche. I can tell you places locally I think Mourvedre would work, but that’s about the reach. Mourvedre grapes that aren’t in that sweet spot can have such skin/juice and acid/tannin/ripeness imbalances as to be unworkable without diving deep into the toolbox in the winery, which means something in the winemaking plan is off base – likely the plan itself.

“As far as Grenache and Syrah go, Grenache is very hearty/forgiving in the vineyard if difficult to get a compelling wine from in the winery, and Syrah has it’s foibles in the vineyard (especially around its relationship to water) but it’s about the easiest thing to pull an interesting wine from in the winery if decent grapes, sort of the three-chord truth of the grape world. Always a good place for young winemakers to start out”.

Ian Brand
http://lppwines.com

Mr Brand’s bottlings include the La Marea Spur Ranch Mourvedre San Benito County and I. Brand & Family “Old Vines” Enz Vineyard Mourvedre Lime Kiln AVA, as well as Le P’tit Paysan “Pierre’s Pirouette” Rosé (Mourvedre, Grenache, Cinsault) Central Coast & Le P’tit Paysan “Le P’tit Pape” (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Counoise) San Benito County.
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For more information:

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Ian does really nice work with Enz Vineyard!

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Mr Bill Frick of Frick Winery in the Dry Creek AVA sent me some information about his work growing and bottling Mourvedre:

"Frick Winery is located on the hillsides in the Dry Creek Valley Appellation of Northern Sonoma County, California. This is a warm growing area with coastal influence; tempered in summer by cool ocean fogs.

"The only source for Frick Mourvedre is Frick Estate Dry Creek Valley Owl Hill Vineyard.

"I use the variety for 100% varietal wine, rose’ and in blends.

"Owl Hill Vineyard soil is Dry Creek Conglomerate. Clay with abundance of gravel, sand, pebbles and some medium sized stones (about the size of a football). This is a soil that translates to low vine vigor, thus smaller canopy and smaller crop.

"I planted a Beaucastel clone selection here because it is a more contemporary importation with precise provenance.

"The grape is late to bud and late to ripen here in Dry Creek Valley. It needs a long growing season. Harvest is late and that requires patience from the winemaker. Syrah and Grenache ripen easily, early and quickly. Syrah and Grenache are ‘no-brainers’ when it comes to getting them ripe.

"I like growing Mourvedre because it maintains a noble upright/vertical growth in the vineyard.

"Canes grow straight up and offer just the right amount of shade for clusters. The fruit is elegantly classical in appearance.

"In the cellar, fresh juice is balanced with classic dark red fruit flavors. Fermentation is slow.

"The wine has interesting nuance of earth and fruit.
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Photos: Mourvèdre Hanging On the Vine - In the Bottle with a Mourvèdre Cluster and Leaf

“Cheers,
Bill Frick
FRICK WINERY
Since 1976”[/i]

185

Frick is another winery that flies well below the radar and produces wonderful wines at great prices. As a bonus they have one of the most picturesque locations in DCV especially late afternoon.

186

Honestly, I was previously more interested in tasting the Carignan or the “C3” red blend (Carignan, Cinsault, & Counoise) than the Frick Mourvedre. Now, I don’t know…

187

I love the Mourvedre varietal. Sans Liege out of SB County makes a 100% Mouvedre that I frequently enjoy.

188

Hardy should be the kingpin of this delegation. He makes the best Cali Mouvedre to me. I don’t drink alot of mouvedre but when I do it’s Dirty and Rowdy.

189

Jon, California has wine regions just like France with boutique wine makers in each one. I know you’re not trying to imply ALL California wine makers are creating product solely for the purposes of profit, but it does come across that way. For every “Butter” Chardonnay wine maker there’s a Tercero, Nicora or plethora of other smaller producers who are in it for the passion of making great wine, regardless of current trends.

PS - You might want to change your profile picture, the ladies on this site might think you’re a porn star! [wow.gif]

190

You can add Nicora to the list of Paso wineries that feature Mourvedre. Nick Elliott is a great guy too.

191

Drew, what a fantastic thread!!! I just bought a couple bottles of 2012 Chateau Pradeaux. [cheers.gif]

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Scott Shapley at Flywheel Wines sent me this via email recently:

"Flywheel Wines is really just my wife and I, and we started it in 2012 to focus on the Chalone AVA (my “day job” is also making wine for another, larger winery). Interestingly, we set out to make Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (which we still make), but we ended up coming out short on yields in our blocks at Brosseau Vyd that first year. Rather than do the smart thing and squirrel the unspent money away for later, when another winemaker offered us some Grenache from Boer Vyd that had come in with a heavier crop, we decided to go for it. Then, Richard Boer asked if anyone would be interested in some Mourvedre that he had available, and we jumped on that as well – all 2 rows of it…

"In 2012, we ended up with 1 barrel each of Grenache and Mourvedre, plus topping wine. I pretty much had assumed that we’d do a 50%/50% G/M blend when all was said and done, but whenever I tried that blend, the Mourvedre ended up overpowering the Grenache. The Grenache was medium-light-bodied that year, but it was very pretty and aromatic, and that kept getting lost at 50%/50%. We did really like a G/M at 67%G/33%M, though – it gave a little more weight to the foundation of the wine, but allowed for all of the lofty aromatics that we got from the Grenache.

"So doing the math, you probably see where this was heading… we had decided on a G/M blend that was about 1.5 barrels, leaving another 30ish gallons of Mourvedre hanging around. We decided to just go ahead and bottle it on its own, and we absolutely loved it. Deep fruit, sauvage, wild, earthy flavors, and great weight (without being an over-the-top brute of a wine). The 12 cases went pretty fast, and we only wished we’d had more.

"In 2013, we had some different yields and ended up with 2 barrels of Grenache and 1 barrels of Mourvedre. This seemed perfect given the blend we’d liked the year before, but we were also hesitant to give up any of that barrel of Mourvedre. In the end, we preferred the 2 varietals standing alone anyway, so we just bottled the Mourvedre on its own and the Grenache on its own. Same thing happened in 2014, but with different yields.

"In 2015, crops were VERY low, and we got no Grenache and only 46 gallons of Mourvedre! I don’t know that I’ve ever spent so much thought on such a small volume of wine! Ended up doing 100% whole cluster just to give some volume to the fermenter. It turned out to be very funky early on, with all of those wild elements partnered with some great stemmy perfume and herbal elements, but with a year plus in bottle now, it’s turning out to be very cool… Richard Boer has planted another 3 rows of Mourvedre for us since then, so we SHOULD be able to get at least a barrel each year, hopefully 2+…

"Depending on the year, we have picked the Grenache and Mourvedre on the same date, or as long as 10 days later, but it just depends on how the seeds are ripening, how the flavors are developing, and whether veraison is even enough between them.

"Richard originally grafted over from Cab Sauvignon to Pinot, Grenache, and Mourvedre when he bought a chunk of Chalone Vyd (he is also the Vineyard Manager for Chalone Vineyard and Winery), and I think he specifically did the Mourvedre because people kept telling him that it didn’t work well up there (they had pulled some out elsewhere, I believe). He’s a great grower, though, and the success of his Grenache and Mourvedre are do both to his finding just the right spot for them, and also his care and attention.

"Sorry to ramble on – I probably have more that I can add, but mainly I’ve really loved working with both Mourvedre and with fruit from the Chalone AVA in general. If you have any questions, I’d be happy to keep going – I’ll REALLY respond more quickly the next time around!


Scott Shapley

Flywheel Wines"
http://www.flywheelwines.com
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This is a very brief piece (more of an announcement) from the Sacramento Bee:

Sacramento Bee
“Mourvedre from the Sierra Foothills is All the Rage with Wine & Spirits Magazine”
by Chris Macias
February 5, 2017

“In the case of Skinner, Pettinger’s (sic) expression of the grape in its 2015 vintage highlights tart red fruit flavors, moderate tannins and a hint of gaminess for which the grape is known. Pair with roasted lamb, take a sip, and see what the fuss is all about.”

I believe I sent an interview email to Mr Chris Pittenger - the correct spelling of his last name - some time back, hoping to gain a deeper understanding of the Mourvedre scene in the Sierra Foothills. I will check again and see if he can share his experiences with us. :slight_smile:

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Here is a Sac Bee article that I can be proud of posting (not a knock on the publication, only on my last post): an interview with Chris Pittenger of Skinner Vineyards!

Sacramento Bee
“Feast Q&A: El Dorado’s Skinner Vineyards”
by Chris Macias
February 21, 2015
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"Q: After working at the winery for a few years, what have you learned about the nuances of the land and vineyards in El Dorado County?

"A: Every year is a kind of new chapter in learning and figuring out what thrives, and also how these different varietals – especially grenache and mourvèdre – really represent themselves and show a true sense of place depending on where they grow. As a case in point, the mourvèdre at the estate in Fair Play on granite soils is completely different compared to (Skinner’s) property in Rescue or Gold Hill. All those soils are so different, and they show differently (as wines).

"We’re still learning so much about the microclimate and, from a (vineyard’s) block-to-block standpoint, what clones are best suited for which styles of soils and root stocks. We’re just trying to dial down and narrow things down so we can really analyze what is working. We’re just kind of scratching the surface.

"Q: Skinner has received a good share of accolades, especially for a fairly young winery. What do you attribute the successes to?

“A: It goes back to the Skinners and their commitment to the region and quality. From Day One, they’ve provided me with all the tools I need to make the best wines possible. We’re definitely grateful for the attention we’re receiving. It just affirms their dedication to the region of putting quality as the main driving force. It’s showing what we felt for the region, that these Rhone varietals were well suited for the soils and climate. For me, it means we’re on the right path.”

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More Chris Pittenger / Skinner here:
Visit with Chris Pittenger at Skinner, 7/14

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Thanks, Ken (again)!!!

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Crux Winery normally offers a GSM red wine but, for the 2014 vintage, they offered a varietally-bottled Mourvedre from the Russian River Valley. Here are some comments from Mr Brian Callahan:

"We’ve only made it as a varietal wine once, in 2014. We use it often for blending - in our GSM and Rose, and perhaps a splash in the Grenache and Syrah. Windsor Oaks and one of our estate vineyards (Crazy Run Ranch, which is about 1 mile west of Windsor Oaks) are our sources for that fruit. We are in the northern corner of the RRV AVA, where it is the warmest. Even then, we occasionally have trouble getting it ripe. The last few years have been very warm ('14 - '17) so it hasn’t been a problem recently. I can understand why the Green Valley folks might be pulling it out (that or their hair).

“Our Mourvedre is always the last grape to be harvested. Although we’ve picked it as late as mid November, we can usually get it off the vine in October. It’s pretty hardy, in that stands up to rain pretty well. We think our corner of the RRV is an ideal place for Rhone varietals. Our vineyards are surrounded by Pinot and Chardonnay vineyards. Those grapes get premium prices in this AVA. In our opinion, the coast and into green valley are better locations for those varietals… and that’s before the ongoing effects of climate change.

Brian Callahan
Crux Winery”

http://cruxwinery.com
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I completely forgot about this response to an email from Skinner Vineyards’ co-owner Carey Skinner. Her responses (from September 8, 2017) are embedded in blue in my poorly written original email…


Hello,

I am a resident of Louisiana and a big fan of Mourvedre, Carignan, Zinfandel, and Alicante Bouschet (really!). Fun fact. There is a Skinner Clone at UC Davis of Petite Boushchet- the only known clone that we can find. We’re counting on Chris to make something beautiful out of it and our other legacy varieties. I am the founder of the Facebook group “Mourvedre Appreciation Social Club” and I regularly participate in discussions on the Wine Berserkers forum. How fun! I am always interested in the stories and history behind the cultivation and sites of this under-appreciated variety. Our history dates back to 1861, Pioneer Gold Rush. If you have any vineyard pictures, cool anecdotes, or other things related to the cultivation and vinification of Mourvedre, I would be very interested in sharing it with fellow Mourvedre lovers! Chris?

Please let me know how you came to work with Mourvedre, more particularly the El Dorado area. Family discovery in 2006 that began with a dot on atlas map that read “Skinners”. Today it still comes up on google as Skinners, CA an unincorporated community. From that spot our son discovered an historical wine cellar from 1861 and a Pioneer Gold Rush historical cemetery across the street. Long story short. James and Jesse Skinner were buried there. Mike contacted the Pioneer Cemetery Commission and discovered that James was his great, great, great grandfather. We flew up with the intent to purchase land, grow the same varieties that James produced in 1861 (one of the nations largest wineries at the time). James produced more than 15,000 gallons a year. He was one of the founding father’s of CA wine and produced Rhone Varietals & Zinfandel in the soils of El Dorado County.The full story is on our website. Mike and I being passionate wine lovers took the “leap of faith” and set off to bring back the family legacy in August of 2006. Chris joined us in our spirit of adventure and left the coast to join our project in the granitic, volcanic and high elevation soils of El Dorado County. We relied on Chris’s hands on experience and knowledge when designing our state of the art winery in 2007. Chris’s passion for our soils peaked Hardy’s interest our vineyards and soils, so here we are today… Our team is committed to respecting our environment and letting the grape express itself in the bottle naturally. I loved the cover story on Mourvedre in Wine & Spirits magazine featuring Skinner and Dirty & Rowdy! We did too! We’re so proud of Chris and appreciative of the beautiful wines he’s creating in our winery. Do you have any specific thoughts on Mataro/Mourvedre/Monastrell as a grape you make into wine? All Chris here, we just enjoy it. I’d be very grateful for any background information on your winery’s work with the grape (what clone, the soil features, and vinification methods adopted in crafting your Mourvedre). I hope you are doing well. Have a great day! You too, cheers!

Sincerely,
Drew Goin

I have sent the winery my standard Interview Questions in the hope that winemaker Chris Pittenger will have an opportunity to answer them.

199

Hardy Wallace of Dirty & Rowdy Family Wines took a trip to the homeland of Mourvedre in France:

It beats anything on this thread! :stuck_out_tongue:

Perhaps the most enlightening statement made by Mr Wallace was this gem:

What we do with Mourvèdre so different from Bandol (and most places). > These stops don’t make me want to do things differently winemaking wise. In fact, they really motivate me to go more deeply down our own path. What I get from these visits (besides the opportunity to taste mind-blowing wine) is a chance to further my understanding of Mourvèdre via its most classic / benchmark form and to really see how it is a remarkable reflector of terroir.

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200

NY Times
“Your Next Lesson: Bandol”
by Eric Asimov
January 30, 2017

"Bandol is grown in small quantities in the limestone hills near the village of Bandol, east of Marseille and west of Toulon in France. The red wines must be at least 50 percent mourvèdre, with the remainder generally blended with grenache and cinsault, and occasionally syrah and carignan.

“The best producers will use considerably more mourvèdre than the minimum, and it is mourvèdre that can sometimes make the wine fiercely tannic when young, before it evolves into a thing of complex beauty.”
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