Mourvedre and Monastrell are the same grape. The name depends on which side of the Pyrenees the vines sit. The grape originated in Spain, where the Romans called it Murviedro, traveled north to southern France, where it became central to Bandol and contributed to Chateauneuf, and traveled west to Southern California in the late twentieth century, where a small cohort of growers planted it on south-facing hillsides and has been quietly making serious wine from it ever since.
Why it works here
Mourvedre needs heat. It needs more heat than nearly any other major Rhone red. Southern California's coastal hills provide exactly that, with the marine evening cool down that keeps the acid intact. The combination is rare globally, common locally. The grape thrives.
Bandol-style versus Spanish-style
Bandol Mourvedre tends toward dark, structured, age-worthy wines that need a decade in bottle to soften. Spanish Monastrell tends toward more immediate, fruit-forward wines that drink well young. Southern California versions sit in between, drinkable at four to six years, age-worthy through twelve to fifteen.
Tasting note
Deep ruby. Black plum, dark cherry, a note of black pepper and dried meadow herbs. Substantial tannin that softens with five years in bottle. The wine is structured. It carries red meat, game, anything braised. It rewards the long meal.