A dark, savoury, late-ripening grape known in Australia as Mataro and in Spain as Monastrell, the 'M' in GSM.
History
Mourvèdre is thought to come from eastern Spain, where it is called Monastrell and makes powerful reds in Jumilla and Alicante. In France it is the key grape of Bandol in Provence and a blending grape across the southern Rhône.
It needs a lot of sun and warmth to ripen, which limits where it can be grown.
Mourvèdre in Australia
Called Mataro in Australia, it arrived in the 1800s and was long used in fortified wines and blends. Some very old vineyards survive in the Barossa and McLaren Vale.
From the 1990s, producers began to celebrate it again, both as a single variety and in Grenache-Shiraz-Mataro (GSM) blends, and many now label it Mourvèdre.
Tasting notes
Deep in colour, medium to full-bodied with firm, grippy tannins. Expect blackberry, plum and dark cherry with savoury notes of game, leather, earth, black pepper and dried herbs. It adds structure and a meaty depth to blends.