2008 Mourvèdre

2008 Mourvèdre Featured in the New York Times

We are proud to have been featured in Eric Asimov’s article “Mourvédre: A Sturdy Red for Winter” in November 1st, 2010’s New York Times. In the article, Asimov says (of the 2008 Mourvédre) that we make “a superb, darkly fruity, mineral-drenched mourvèdre in small quantities”. This wine was sent to the VINsider Wine Club in the fall 2010 shipment, and is now available to VINsider club members on our online order form.

Production Notes

The 2008 Tablas Creek Vineyard Mourvèdre is Tablas Creek’s sixth varietal bottling of Mourvédre, and showcases the noteworthy balance of the 2008 vintage. We use most of our Mourvédre in our Esprit de Beaucastel each year. However, we feel that the Mourvédre grape, often dismissed as a blending varietal, is capable of making single-varietal wines both rich and balanced. When we have particularly characteristic lots of Mourvédre, we try to reserve a limited quantity for a single-varietal bottling.

Our Mourvédre grapes were grown on our 120-acre certified organic estate vineyard.

The 2008 vintage was our second consecutive drought vintage, with low yields, cool-climate characteristics, and a persistent elegance across both whites and reds. A late spring and moderate summer combined with beautiful harvest weather to produce gradual ripening and red wines that were unusually fresh and approachable despite appealing lushness. Mourvédre was harvested between September 30th and October 30th.

The Mourvédre grapes were destemmed and then fermented using native yeasts in a balance of small open-top and enclosed stainless steel tanks. After three weeks, they were pressed and moved to 1200-gallon foudres to complete their fermentation. The Mourvédre lots were blended in June of 2009, aged for an additional year in a 1200-gallon foudre and bottled in May 2010. The wine underwent only a light filtration before bottling, and should be expected to throw a sediment over time.

Tasting Notes

The 2008 Mourvèdre has a garnet color that belies its intensity of flavor. It has a spicy nose of red cherry, plum and pepper. The mouth is consistent with the nose, with a little meatiness lurking under the bright fruit. The tannins firm up on the long, coffee-laced finish and suggest a good life ahead. Drink now and for the next decade.

Reviews

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Recipe Suggestions

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Food Pairings

  • Richly flavored stews
  • Pork chops with fruit reduction
  • Asian preparation of red meats (i.e., beef stir fry)
  • Bittersweet chocolate desserts
Mourvedre

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Blend

  • 100% MourvĂ©dre

Technical Notes

  • 14.1% Alcohol by Volume
  • 675 Cases Produced

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Upcoming Events

Farm to Fork Earth Day Dinner 4/20

Join Tablas Creek, Artisan Restaurant and the Central Coast Vineyard Team for a dinner in the vines that will kick off the 2012 Earth Day Food & Wine Festival. Tour our organic vineyard and new animal barn, and enjoy a dinner prepared by Artisan's Chris Kobayashi, paired with Tablas Creek wines. Details & More Events »

Tablas Creek News

February Featured Wine: 2009 Tannat

Each month, we feature a wine that we feel is showing particularly well, and offer that wine at a 10% discount.  The 2009 Tannat is dark and smoky, rich with fruit yet powerfully structured. The Wine Advocate gave it 90-93 points and called it "absolutely fabulous...with an opulent, full-bodied personality graced with exquisite inner perfume". Read more » or order online »

On the Blog: Levi Glenn and David Maduena demonstrate grapevine pruning

February 21, 2012

In February the relative calm of winter ends. The days start to get longer, the cover crops explode into growth, and it feels like spring is around the corner. This is when we prune. Viticulturist Levi Glenn and Vineyard Manager David Maduena demonstrate and explain. Read more »