Category: Mourvedre/Monastrell

Partida Creus "GT" Penedes Garrut (Monastrell) 2014--Not What You Might Expect from Monastrell

3/1/2018

by Patrick Ogle

Partida Creus GT Penedes Garrut 2014 The first sniff of this wine made me think of some sort of antiseptic...then...the next sniff? It smelled like a cherry sweetheart candy. Then it sort of morphed into some of the Pais grape wines I've had or even some of the super funky Gamay. Yes it is a tricky wine. This all makes it sound unapproachable but, oddly, it isn’t.

It is light in color in the glass. When I got around to doing what really matters--tasting the wine (really I'm not sure why I BOTHER talking about what it smells like sometimes...) It has a tart cherry taste and what seems to be some CO2, not enough for it to be sparkly but enough for it to be really lively. It has some dirt on the finish. The earthiness is more understated than I expected given the nose. Dirty isn't a bad thing really, and it blows off a great deal with air.

I was a little afraid of this wine after hearing three different opinions on it. I hesitated to open it. I thought "Monastrell from the South." and thought it might be a big, fruity wine. The Spanish iteration of mourvedre can be that way but this has NOTHING to do with that. cranberry, sour cherry, hints of vinaigrette. It is almost a summertime red and while it is unusual it is easily approachable.

In addition to earth there are other strange hints of vegetation here that call to mind the bitter and aromatic herbs of amaros and the like. All of these complex tastes exist in a light, easy drinking wine. More than one person I talked to about this said something akin to “I tasted it, thought ‘this is weird,’ then poured another glass.”

Partida Creus are located in Penedes, Spain. The area is known for white wines and Cava but, more and more, interesting reds are appearing from the area. Monastrell del Litoral/Garrut is a sub-variety of Monastrell--or maybe not. I’ve found sources saying yes and no to this assertion. This wine does not call to mind other Monastrell. Monastrell is known as Mourvedre in France and is also sometimes called Mataro.

If you are into natural wine? This has no sulfur added, uses native yeast, is unfiltered and aged in stainless steel.

It is unusual wine but do not be afraid of it. This is a fabulous introduction to the more unusual side of natural wine making.

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Suriol Brut Cava Rose (2012), A Rose Cava With More Complexity Than Most In Its Price Range, Is Produced With Care And Given Time

3/28/2017

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by Patrick Ogle

Suriol Brut Cava Rose (2012) is a unique, moderately priced rose cava. When I took a sniff I thought a little bit about lambrusco. Maybe This was because of the color; there is definitely a bit of vinegar here (by this I mean a hint of acetic acid, which can be a good thing in small amounts...it doesn't taste like VINEGAR). The wine is darker than many roses and the vinegar on the nose isn't apparent in the taste. It is unusual and less fruity than you might think but there is dark fruit. Dark berries, plum and candied apple spring to mind (keeping in mind there is nothing sweet here).

You also get hints of rich earth and minerality in this Spanish sparkler. The earthiness isn't too dirty though. More loam than manure! This is like a sniff of fertile ground after a big rain.

We talk about "complicated" wines a great deal but usually they are not $15 (ish) cavas. This isn't a normal Cava. First of all it is a rose (of course these exist but they are less common than their white compatriots) and second of all it is a vintage wine. A vintage sparkler usually commands a higher price. Vintage means the wine all comes from a specific year (more or less).

Not only does this wine all come from one year it spends extended time "on the lees." "Lees" refers to dead yeast cells and other particles that are a byproduct of producing a wine. Time spent on the lees adds to a wine's complexity and the cost of making it. After all, time IS money. Time spent on the lees in sparklers often adds a yeasty, bready taste to the wine. Sometimes you may get some extra floral tastes, nuttiness and/or toastiness from a sparkler left on the lees. This cava is fermented using native yeast as well.

This wine also spends two years aging in the bottle before being disgorged. Disgorgement is the process by which the dead yeast and sediment is removed from the bottle.

In any case, look for Suriol wines--the two I have sampled punched way above their weight, price range-wise.

Find out more HERE

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Kepos de Ampeleia 2011, Italian Winemaker Creates A Unique Wine Using Rhone Varietals

2/15/2016

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by Patrick Ogle

Kepos de Ampeleia 2011 is an interesting wine made by Ampeleia. It comes from Tuscany but isn't anything like what you generally expect from the region. When I first sniffed this wine, before tasting it, the smell made me think "French" (and I would have thought that even if I hadn't known in advance about the varietals).

It is relatively light in color. The grapes here are often associated with the Rhone Valley. The wine is 40% grenache, 40% mourvedre,10% carignan, 5% alicante bouschet and 5% marsellan. These last two grapes are odd-balls. Alicante bouschet is a cross between petit bouschet and grenache. Marsellan is a cross between cabernet sauvignon and grenache. Neither are grapes most folks know (I didn't).

At first taste this wine makes you think; "how unusual." It doesn't have big, in your face tannins. Tannins are the compounds that give you the "drying" sensation in your mouth. There are tannins here, however, but they are sneaky and soft. The wine has a soft feel to go with these tannins. My first fruit thought here was cherry but that is just a first taste. I try to avoid talking about more exotic fruits like pomegranate but that is part of this wine. It is also a bit spicy but don't think peppery but rather baking spices like nutmeg or cinnamon. It isn't a Rhone wine knock-off but something that is entirely its "own thing." Italian winemakers seem to do this with frequency.

Kepos de Ampeleia is a medium-light to medium wine that will please people who usually like bigger wines. It has a great deal going on but mostly it is just enjoyable to drink. You don't need food (although you could pair this with a wide variety of cuisine) and you do not need to think about it too much; you never really need to do that but if you like to think about wine there is plenty to examine. Think on what fruits you sense here.

If you can find a bottle buy it because it it isn't something you see all that often! The next two years of this wine, 2012 and 2013, may be available here and there. Keep an eye open.

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Juan Gil Monastrell (Mourvedre) A Bit Peculiar At First Taste But You May Learn To Love It

4/21/2015

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by Patrick Ogle
When you taste Juan Gil Monastrell your first thought may well be; what a unique flavor! You may also think; this is PECULIAR. Monastrell is mourvedre, a grape mostly used in blends, notably in GSM (grenache, syrah, mourvedre) that originate in the southern Rhone Valley in France.

This is a wine that is all over the place taste wise and this isn’t a bad thing…it is big and complex and you will notice the sweetness first then the tannins will take over. The finish has something musty maybe even gamey to go along with the oakiness (the wine was , according to their website, fermented in steel then transferred to French oak barrels for a further 12 months).

Speaking of tannins, there are lots of them in this particular wine and also dash of sweetness. This is a big wine with a ton going on—big alcohol lots of black fruits flavors in an almost innumerable mix of other flavors; Red fruit flavors are apparent too. It is also spicy and a little smoky. Often, when discussing wines with lots of flavors you refer to the wine as subtle; that isn’t the case here. The mélange of flavor and tannins and alcohol is all sort of right in your face here. A sniff of the wine will make pretty much everyone think “jam”.

This is big and complex wine. The finish has something musty maybe even gamey to go along with the oakiness (the wine was , according to their website, fermented in steel then transferred to French oak barrels for a further 12 months). I wish there was a better term to use than gamey, which conjures up roasted possum or road kill for some people. It isn’t that but it is something some people will love and others will not. It is also a wine that you could probably hang onto for a few years to its benefit.

And that is the important thing—are YOU going to like this wine? Maybe….or maybe not. Yes, I know that really clears things up. It is a peculiar taste combination and it is not really like other varietals. It is a wine that a) might take some getting useful b) might be best with food c) shows why Mourvedre/Monastrell is often used in blends. This would add much to a blend which would also ameliorate some of the weirdness.

Do not think because you love GSM blends that you will love this grape as a varietal. It is much heavier by itself.

As I’ve noted this wine would be good with food. I was thinking something smoky—maybe barbecue. I don’t eat meat myself so I am just talking about the sauce! Some sorts of stew—red sauce based—would work well with this. Perhaps even Indian food would be complemented by it as well.

Even though we know this grape mostly from GSMs, which are produced in many locations these days, it does stand alone as a varietal which is not always the case with blending grapes. Mouvedre as a varietal is produced in the USA in Washington and California (as well as some other states with less of a reputation for wine). Keep an eye open for pieces on some of those.

$14-19

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Partida Creus "GT" Penedes Garrut (Monastrell) 2014--Not What You Might Expect from Monastrell

Suriol Brut Cava Rose (2012), A Rose Cava With More Complexity Than Most In Its Price Range, Is Produced With Care And Given Time

Find out more HERE

Kepos de Ampeleia 2011, Italian Winemaker Creates A Unique Wine Using Rhone Varietals

Juan Gil Monastrell (Mourvedre) A Bit Peculiar At First Taste But You May Learn To Love It

WINE!

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