Chapel Hill Mourvèdre 2010 (McLaren Vale, SA)
15%, Screwcap, $35
Source: Sample
www.chapelhillwine.com.au

The march of Mourvèdre – as a single varietal wine – continues. Here it is in classic form, as brooding and effortlessly deep as ever.

Brooding is a great word for this wine actually (I spotted it on the back label too) as it is so earthen, unsweetened and coffee bitter, the reductive nature of the grape making for a wine that is very savoury, an overlay of mocha oak and a little alcohol the only sweetness in sight. These Vale example often look even more reductive than their Barossa floor counterparts too, making them even less sweet.

In many way this is the antithesis of the press-it-off-early, leave-a-dash-of-residual-sugar modern Australian wine style, and I do question whether everyone will ‘get it’ as a result, but for a wine of serious contemplation, long tannins and unbeatable power and length this is a real winner. Will only get better with bottle age too. Great stuff.

Drink: 2013-2025
Score: 18/20 93/100
Would I buy it? Absolutely