Mourvèdre
Mourvèdre as a cultivated
wine variety originated in Spain, where it is also called mataro or monastrell.
Over 250,000 acres are planted there and, although many
vineyards are intermingled with the bobal variety,
only grenache outnumbers total monastrell acreage. It is the
principal black grape of the five appellations that cluster
on Spain's Southeastern Mediterranean Coast, Almansa, Valencia,
Alicante, Jumilla, and Yecla. Prior to the late Nineteenth
Century phyloxera devastation, mourvédre was also widely
planted in Southern France.
There are contradictions and
anomolies in the growth characteristics and properties of
mourvédre vines. Mourvédre is a very late variety
in both bud break and ripening season. It can recover quite
well from Spring frosts, but sometimes succombs to cold
Winter temperatures. It craves heat and survives in locations too windy for other varieties, but is drought-sensitive.
Phylloxera
nearly drove mourvèdre to extinction, because the vines
took so poorly to grafting that most vineyardists deemed the
results not worth the effort. Replanting did not begin seriously
until following World War II, 60 years after the devastation,
when sufficient vinestock was developed that had both adapted
to grafting and had consistent production history.
Until the late 1960s, however,
the main French plantings of mourvédre were in Provence,
where it is the dominant grape in Bandol. Total mourvédre
vineyards in France increased from 2,200 acres in 1968 to
nearly 14,000 by 1988.
Mourvèdre is a slow-ripening
variety that develops tight bunches of grapes that need good
ventilation to avoid rot. It seems to do best in windy climates
like Southern France, in parts of Spain and Algeria, and in Australia, where it is known as mataro.
Wine makers use Mourvédre frequently in blends to boost color and tannin, but often bemoan its absence of distinct flavors. Beginning in the early 1980s, several Australian wineries have popularized various blends of Grenache, Shiraz, and Mataro as "GSM" wines. Unblended Mourvèdre
wines tend to be deep-colored, quite tannic, somewhat alcoholic,
and have generally "spicy" and sometimes, "gamey"
aromas in their youth.
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Typical
Mourvèdre Smell and/or Flavor
Descriptors
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Varietal
Aromas/Flavors:
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Processing
Bouquets/Flavors:
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Spice:
thyme, clove, cinnamon, black
pepper
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Oak
(heavy): oak, smoke, toast, tar,
sweet wood
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Faunal:
gamey
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.
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Floral:
violet
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.
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Fruit:
blackberry
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In California, mourvédre
was historically called mataro and was losing ground literally until
the demand for Rhône-type varietals began to surge in
the late 1980s. Even today, most of the 560 acres planted
are in Contra Costa County.
by Jim
LaMar
