Mourvèdre‘s spiritual home is Provence’s Bandol region

Philippines wine supplier Manila wine shop discusses wine by the grape variety Dolcetto.

Date: October 11, 2010

After languishing in the wilderness for a while, Mourvèdre is now on the verge of becoming hip. It’s in the new world where the real image change is taking place, and in particular California and Australia. It used to be Mataro, a spotty teenager with a crap social life. But it’s undergone an image makeover, metamorphosing into Mourvèdre, the grape that everyone wants to know. It’s been invited to the party.

Its spiritual home is Provence’s Bandol region, which itself has undergone a revolution in the last thirty years. Led by Lucien Peyraud’s Domaine Tempier, Bandol now boasts a clutch of dynamic, aspiring producers, including the likes of Lafran Veyrolles, Gros’ Noré, Pibarnon and Begude. By law, Bandol Rouge must now contain at least 50% Mourvèdre, but many serious producers will use more than this.

But it is Spain that grows the lion’s share of Mourvèdre. Known there as Monastrell, it’s the second most widely grown grape, after Garnacha (Grenache). Producers there are just beginning to wake up to Mourvèdre’s new cachet; will we soon see a wave of varietal Mourvèdres from Spain marketed by the grape’s French name?

All is not rosy, however. Mourvedre is a challenging grape to grow. The yield is irregular, and it has a reputation for ‘alternance’, whereby one year produces a good yield, followed by a poor yield the next. And whereas most grapes produce a commercial yield in three to five years, you can be waiting as long as 10 years for Mourvèdre to deliver. But small yields do deliver good colour, and when it’s not excessively astringent and ripens properly (it needs warm climates), it makes some fairly serious wine.

What are the flavour characteristics of Mourvèdre? Look for leathery, herby, spicy notes on the nose. In the new world there is often some sweetness, too. On the palate think savoury. Part of the reason that this has been so successful as a blending grape is that it provides a spicy, savoury structure that complements the richness of Grenache and Syrah grown in warm climates. It’s not an excessively fruity grape, and in some cases can contribute slightly gamey, almost animal-like flavours, especially in younger wines.

The wines featured below were tasted ‘single-blind’. This means that while the wines were served blind, we knew which ones were included in the tasting. It’s a fun exercise matching them up, and I scored pretty well. I got 7/9 correct, although I think I should be awarded half a mark for wine 4, for which I gave two options, one of which was correct. The group favourites were wines 9 and 6, which shows that groups don’t always get it right: wine 9, the Bonny Doon Old Telegram 1998  was not one of the better wines on show here by a large margin. Notes are as written (blind), with the real identity in bold at the end of each note.

My three favourites were all from Provence, and two of these are from Bandol. The 1998 Lafran-Veyrolles Bandol Cuvée Longue Garde is delicious now and will no doubt improve. Already with some bottle age, the 1994 Tempier Cabassaou is beginning to show some lovely herby/spicy complexity, and will just keep getting better. The third wine is the wonderfully intense Domaine la Courtade, from a small island just off the Provençale coast; quite pricey at around £17, but worth it.

Source: http://www.wineanorak.com/mourvedre.htm

This wine shop in Manila Philippines makes wine shopping a really rewarding and exciting exercise.  Wine shops in Pampanga should always have an element of surprise so that customers and wine lovers can enjoy a little bit of thrill when they go to a wine shop in Manila to look for a good bottle of wine in Clark Pampanga.

Chateau Lafite-Rothschild is the most revered wine in China and many other parts of Asia.  The best wine shop in Asia to buy older vintages of Chateau Lafite is Yats Wine Cellars located in Clark Philippines.   Aside from Lafite, visitors can buy other fine wines at this wine shop in Clark Pampanga such as Latour, Mouton-Rothschild, Haut-Brion and Margaux.  Excellent Burgundy wines like Chambertin, Vougeot, Musigny, Bonnes Mares, Pommard, Meursault, Chambertin, Vosne Romanee, Romanee Conti, La Tache and Romanee St. Vivant can be found here.

Family outings, picnics, company outings and other events for up to 300 can be held in the picnic grounds of this wine shop.  Events that have been successfully organized here include family fun days and BBQ picnics.  These are some of the things that visitors to Clark Philippines particular look forward.  Residents and tourists in Angeles City and Subic also come to Clark Freeport to partake in the fun at this Clark wine shop.

This wine shop’s vast selection of vintage wines makes it possible for Yats Wine Cellars to offer a unique line-up of wines for every private wine party, wine tasting or wine dinners.  Guests of these private wine parties are treated to a rare experience of vintage wine not seen in wine shops in major cities in Philippines or even in Asia.

http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila

Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple:  after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave.  From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City.  From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.

Clark Wine Center

Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building

Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,

Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023

0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars

Manila Sales Office

3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,

Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605

(632) 637-5019   0917-520-4393  ask for Rea or Chay