REVIEWS
Tanzer's IWC (Nov. 2009)
Wine Advocate (Aug. 2009)
S.F. Chronicle (July 2009)

HOW IS IT DRINKING?
Vintage Chart

The 2007 Tablas Creek Vineyard Mourvèdre is Tablas Creek's fifth varietal bottling of Mourvedre, and showcases the remarkable combination of power and balance that typifies the 2007 vintage. Even at a young age it shows remarkable depth of plum, currant, mocha and spice, substantial but incredibly fine-grained tannins and great length. It should age for a decade at least.

We use most of our Mourvedre in our Esprit de Beaucastel each year. However, we feel that the Mourvedre grape, often dismissed as "just a blending varietal", is capable of making single-varietal wines both rich and balanced. When we have particularly intense and characteristing lots of Mourvedre, we try to reserve a limited quantity for a single-varietal bottling.

As with all our wines, our Mourvedre grapes were grown on our 120-acre certified organic estate vineyard.

The 2007 vintage was the best vintage we've yet seen at Tablas Creek. Yields were very low (down between 15% and 30%, depending on variety) due to a cold and very dry winter, which produced small berries and small clusters. A moderate summer without any significant heat spikes followed, allowing gradual ripening, and producing red wines with tremendous intensity, excellent freshness and a lushness to the fruit which cloaks tannins that should allow the wines to age gracefully. The Mourvèdre was harvested throughout October and completed the vintage on October 30th.

The Mourvedre 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 Mourvedre lots were blended in June of 2008, when we added 10% Syrah to give a touch of black fruit and mineral to the wine. It was aged for an additional year in a 1200-gallon foudres and bottled in May 2009. The wine underwent only a light filtration before bottling, and should be expected to throw a sediment over time.

The 2007 Mourvèdre displays a classic nose of roasted meats, plums and spice. Juicy and full in the mouth, it features lingering notes of plum, currant, coffee, chocolate and leather, with substantial but fine-grained tannins and a long finish. We expect it to drink well for a decade at least.