Violets, Blackberry & Smoke: Kermit Lynch’s Favorite Mourvèdre
Posted on: 12/7/18 8:25 PM
It’s December, which means its prime time for one of the only grapes we talk about when it’s below fifty degrees. Yes, it’s time we delve into Mourvèdre. Often widely used as a supporting actor (aka: mainly a blending grape) Mourvèdre during the roast and stew season is given, for a brief few fleeting months, a leading role on our tables.
Our favorite comes from Kermit Lynch’s stellar portfolio (Lynch is especially talented at finding gems from Southern France–the natural home for Mourvèdre), and we’ve been fixated on his Château La Roque Cuvée Les Vieilles Vignes. Exploding with rich and sweetly darkened red fruits, garrigue and a core of black mineral, this bottle runs circles around wines twice its price. Don’t miss one of favorite gems from the Kermit Lynch portfolio!
2016 Château La Roque Cuvée Les Vieilles Vignes de Mourvèdre
Note from Importer Kermit Lynch: “Powerful and elegant. Explosive notes of crushed limestone and sun-kissed fruit make their presence known, yet the mouth-feel is tempered by tannins that seem to melt into the finish.”
More about the Wine
Château La Roque will be familiar to many through their excellent “Pic Saint Loup” bottling –one of our best values we offer from the Languedoc. We thought it would be impossible to match, pound for pound, the value “Pic Saint Loup” provides, but after we tasted La Roque Cuvée Les Vieilles Vignes we were clearly wrong. The La Roque offers the same detail and balance, but with even more weight, purity and immersion.
Why are we so fixated on Château La Roque in the first place? A classic Languedoc estate that rests on ground with almost a two thousand year history of viticulture, this is clearly very special land. Then there is the legendary Jack Boutin, one of the top winemakers in the history of the appellation. Mr. Boutin, widely considered a once in a generation talent, was responsible for planting Mourvèdre on the estate. While Mr. Boutin has retired, the vines, now nearing over sixty years old (hence the Vielles Vignes) have reached deep into the limestone clay soils, producing some of the most vivid and tactile Mourvèdre we’ve tasted. We urge you not to miss it.
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