This Languedoc wine made with 95% Mourvèdre and 5% Grenache grapes is dominated by a meaty, wild game aroma. In the mouth, it tends to lack matter. Although rather light, it is pretty pleasant. On the finish a bit bitter, but fairly long. Well present tannins, which is a characteristic of the grape.
Difficult to say if it is past its best or if it still has potential for improvement. Judging from the nice evolution in the glass, I would risk waiting a bit longer before trying another bottle. But not too long.
Mourvèdre is a black-skinned grape variety thought to have originated in Spain, where it is called Monastrell. It has been grown in vineyards all around the western Mediterranean for centuries and at one time it was the second most planted red wine variety in Spain. It got hit very hard by the phylloxera epidemic of the 1880s. Nowadays it is usually used in the blend of the wines produced around the Mediterranean coast from Provence to Murcia, but it seldom dominates the blend as in this case.
Clos des Poètes, a single parcel wine produced by Château Haut-Blanville, is produced in the Grès de Montpellier sub-appellation, which is among the most prestigious of the humongous wine region of Languedoc-Roussilon (the single biggest wine-producing region in the world). This wine sells at Divo for 31 CHF.
When I explored the Languedoc-Roussilon with my son in the summer 2016, I tasted a lot of mediocre wines, but also quite a few outstanding ones. What particularly impressed me was standing (and driving) in the middle of vineyards and not seeing anything else but vines as far as I could look.
Country: France
Region: Languedoc
Grapes: Mourvèdre, Grenache
Type: Red
Vintage: 2009
Producer: Château Haut-Blanville
Price range: Premium (30-50 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 3/5