Mourvèdre is typically found in a blend with Grenache and/or Syrah in southern Rhone. This varietal by d'Arenberg is an excellent fruit-forward (Australian!) version. I'm going mostly by memory here, so there's not much to this note - but I saw a couple of bottles in the Prospect St store, so I thought I'd post a note to say it's worth buying. We have 6 bottles in our cellar. Wine Spectator gave it 89 and Steven Tanzer gave it 91.
Since I have a few bottles in the cellar, I e-mailed d"Arenberg about the drinking window (their website isn't helpful) and this is what they said: "For our Twenty-eight Road Mourvedre, while it can be drunk now, this wine can also be cellared away for 10 - 15 years under ideal cellaring conditions."
Price: $33.99
Score: 91
Value: 4/5
Tasted: March 2008
ANBL UPC: 9311832393002
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I should know better but every time I try a D'arenberg wine, I expect a candied fruit bomb. I can't remember where I made this first impression but it has stuck with me despite recent tastings to the contrary.
ReplyDeleteExcept the when I try the Dead Arm, I have low expections when I try D'Arenberg wine. Again, I don't know why but I do.
The 28 Road Mouv I tried last saturday was very good. It had a good mix of fruit and meaty aromas and taste that hit the spot.
I think 91pts is a bit high but I gave it 88 pts.
I can see where you got the impression: see the Oct 9 review of the Stump Jump - Ted is a d'Arenberg fan, but even he agrees it was candied. Re the Twentyeight Road, in retrospect I think I agree that 91 is too high. It will be interesting to see how it ages. WS says to drink now through '09, but the d'Arenberg site says it will develop with age. But they don't give a specific drinking window. I've had good luck with other fruit bomb Aus wines developing very nicely (the '03 Jacob's Creek Reserve comes to mind).
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I stand by my 91. Norman, you're too quick to bow to peer pressure.
ReplyDeleteI think we had this with a crowd, so I'll admit that it didn't have my full attention. But my notes say it had flavours of plum, licorice, and pepper, and also that it was very full on the nose and palate, with firm tannins; nicely balanced and long. I've also got notes about caramel apples, popcorn, and cotton candy... which makes me wonder how much of it I drank and whether perhaps we tasted it FrEx week. Still, I stand by my 91.
Re aging, I e-mailed d'Arenberg and this is what they said: "For our Twenty-eight Road Mourvedre, while it can be drunk now, this wine can also be cellared away for 10 - 15 years under ideal cellaring conditions."
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