Aldente sf6/7/2023 ![]() ![]() Oz Clarke notes this in his Encyclopedia of Grapes.Īccording to the English wine writer, the name split the difference between Valencia and Catalonia, two Spanish regions closely identified with the vine-and whose respective towns of Murviedro and Mataró give a pretty strong toponymic clue to its dual identities. Then, somewhere along the line it became monastrell-a possibly neutral name created by, and for, the Spanish. ![]() The vine, which is best known in France and internationally as mourvèdre, started out as mataro in Spain before getting rendered into French. Robert Lawrence Balzer, The Joys of Wine, 1975ĪLMOST SINCE I STARTED drinking wine, I’ve thought of the mourvèdre grape in superlative terms.Īcross borders in Spain and France and time zones in Australia and California, this thrilling, complex variety makes some of the wines-on its own and in combination with syrah and grenache-that I most enjoy putting in a glass.īefore that even happens, there’s the splendid fact of its name. “Far-roving pioneer vintners from Europe carried with them the desire to create vinous echoes of their homelands.” Each produces a hefty 30,000 cases per year, enough to satisfy distributor and direct-to-consumer needs many times over. In my travels, Daou has often seemed to show up as a grocery chain and steakhouse standby, while Tablas Creek’s Rhône focus makes it more of a mom-and-pop establishment brand (if mom hummed along to Edith Piaf and pop sported the occasional beret). With their respective national footprints, each winery serves an ambassadorial role for Paso Robles as an important source of California wine. Several scenic miles up the road is the more mainstream Daou Family Estates (stylized “DAOU” on their labels), which specializes in Napa Valley-ish red wines. The district is home to Tablas Creek Vineyards, the innovative grower-producer of Rhône and Mediterranean grape varieties I’ve written about previously. About three dozen others comprise an eclectic roster of Adelaida wineries. It may be one of California’s less familiar wine regions, but this mountainous, oak-studded viticultural area just outside of Paso Robles boasts a couple of the Central Coast’s signature wineries, along with a major industry player. Maybe it was for these reasons the store that used to bill itself in both local advertisements and on the sign over its entrance as the place “Where the Napa Valley shops for wine” eventually turned into anything but.ĪDELAIDA, AS THE ALLUSION to boxing goes, punches above its weight. There certainly were, and are, other places here in Napa to buy adult beverages, along with the internet. With its distinctive, curved façade, artsy spire, and great location at the edge the Oxbow District, JV always struck me as equal parts indispensable and quirky. Since then, it’s turned into days (and months and years) of trash and weeds for the property while its owner has, for whatever reason, let it stay vacant. The demise of this boozy emporium meant that loyal customers like me were left high and dry, without a full-service, high-end liquor store that also carried a wide range of equally good wines. In the spring of 2012, according to the business reporter, JV’s owners and their landlord couldn’t agree on new lease terms, so that was that for the 30 year-old retailer. She may have covered more dramatic stories since then, but it was a sad day when Napa’s best bottle shop closed its doors. So wrote the Napa Valley Register’s Jennifer Huffman ten years ago. “THE DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES are over for JV Wine and Spirits.”
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