Chemins Vignerons

Mourvèdre
Also called mataro
Mourvèdre as a cultivated wine variety originated in Spain, where it is called monastrell. Prior to the late Nineteenth Century phylloxera devastation, mourvèdre was also widely planted in Southern France.
Main features : There are contradictions and anomalies in the growth characteristics and properties of mourvèdre vines. Mourvèdre is a very late variety in both bud break and ripening season. It can recover quite well from Spring frosts, but sometimes fail to survive cold Winter temperatures. It craves heat, 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.
Oenological potential : 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, and in parts of Spain and Algeria.
On their own, Mourvèdre wines tend to be deep-colored, quite tannic, somewhat alcoholic, and have generally "spicy" aromas like thyme, clove, cinnamon, black pepper and, sometimes, "gamey" flavors in their youth, floral flavour like violet.
Use : The main French plantings of mourvèdre were in Provence, where it is the dominant grape in Bandol. It’s used for blending in most of the strong full bodied southern red wines : In Côtes du Rhône, Languedoc, Provence and Roussillon. Total mourvédre vineyards in France increased from 2,200 acres in 1968 to nearly 18,000 by 2005.