2005 PETER FRANUS BRANDLIN VINEYARD MOURVÈDRE
They called it “Mataro” in the old days. Decades ago, Henry Brandlin and his sons Chester and Richard planted some in their breathtaking vineyard high in the hills above Napa Valley. As they also did in the old days, vines were interplanted with one another, not segregated in neatly arranged blocks. Harvesting these grapes requires tagging vines and marking off sections to make it happen. Weather needs to cooperate too, to allow a more leisurely harvest. Each year I think about doing a Mourvèdre but in fact have only done it twice—my first in 1997, and now the second effort in 2005. People still talk about the 1997, and I assure you they will be talking about the 2005. These grapes from Brandlin are arguably the best Mourvèdre grown in California.
For those not all that familiar with variety, Mourvèdre is widely planted in Spain——thought to have originated there in fact—as well as in southern France.. It flourishes in the famous appellation of Bandol—by law the wines must consist of at least 50% Mourvedre—and it is also typically found in the wines from Chateauneuf-du-Pape. It somehow captures the very best aspects of syrah and zinfandel, and when planted on a site such as Mount Veeder, it is magically transformed into an exotically perfumed, long-lived wine.
The unmistakable Brandlin terroir found in the Zinfandel—crushed stone, baking spices, and bramble fruit—certainly appears in the Mourvèdre, but there is a greater expansiveness and exotic black raspberry element that transports the nose to some other level. On top of that, is a structure and complexity uncommon to most wines. It may have something to do with the fact that the vines are over eighty years old and growing on top of a ridge where soils drain best.
Say hello to the 2005. Dark ruby in color with a heady, outrageous nose of dark berry fruit, licorice, leather, earth and spice. Expansive mouth with more berry and spice on the palate. Round and lush with sweet, smooth tannins in a structure that will allow many more visits over the next decade.
By the way, bottling on Valentine’s Day was not a coincidence!
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