Newsletter: 2019 Mourre du Tendre 'Tres Vieilles Vignes' Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Newsletter: 2019 Mourre du Tendre 'Tres Vieilles Vignes' Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Grenache, when done right, sits right up there with the great reds of the world. At its apex, it captures the elegance and fragrance of Burgundian Pinot combined with commanding power derived from southern France's Mediterranean sunshine. Its problem however, is very few winemakers possess the skill and knowledge to harness the perfect balance of this notoriously fickle grape. 

Enter today's Châteauneuf-du-Pape from the über-traditional Mourre du Tendre estate, easily one of the most spellbinding Grenaches I have tasted in years. A Châteauneuf du Pape reminiscent of some of the great bottles of Château Rayas I’ve been lucky enough to drink. Perhaps it's due to the unique sandy soils it shares with Rayas, but there is a purity and effusiveness captured in this wine that I find astonishing, especially considering this terroir’s unrelenting heat. It's this combination of lift and classic Châteauneuf du Pape muscle that makes this wine truly special.

A bold and weighty Châteuneuf lacking the usual pitfalls of overripe, raisinated fruit and oxidized flavors. This is a masterclass in old-school viticulture and winemaking, and one of the reasons Châteauneuf du Pape is historically revered.
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Almost entirely Grenache with a touch of Mourvèdre for added strucrure. Sourced from three distinctly sandy parcels of old vines, the oldest planted in 1929. Everything is harvested by hand and fermented using whole bunches with native yeasts. The wine ages in a combination of concrete tanks and traditional, large oak barrels for thirty months before bottling and aging an additional six months before release.

Decadent and powerful, the nose is layered with blackberry, grilled plum, lavender florals, anise and classic Rhône garrigue. The palate is deeply flavored and full-bodied, yet refined and elegant. There's dense black fruit intertwined with pretty violet notes, dried herbs and black peppercorn spice. A transportive, bygone era Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a style that's become increasingly hard to find.  
Seven generations of the Paumel family have farmed land in the Rhône valley, all culminating with Jacques Paumel who run the estate today. Jacques' takeover from his father happened in 1962, and for two decades things went as they had for the previous generations.

In 1988 Jacques made the historic decision to stop selling grapes to the local coop and make wines under the estate's name. Since then, Mourre du Tendre has leveraged its incredible holdings to craft a range of wines centered around the keystone Chateauneuf-du-Pape cuvée. Traditionalists above all else, all farming and winemaking is done by hand, with no additives and no pesticides ever used. 
2019 Mourre du Tendre 'Tres Vieilles Vignes' Châteauneuf-du-Pape - $69.99
 
*SPECIAL NEWSLETTER PRICE - $64.99

*SPECIAL 2-PACK PRICE - $59.99/btl

 
To order, reply directly to this email or call me at 843.576.4845
Justin Coleman
Proprietor
Monarch Wine Merchants