“Rien Que du Mourvedre”, Vin de France

From a friend’s vineyard in Saint-Chinian in the Languedoc—the same source as the “Rien Que du Carignan” above—Ludovic and Corinne produce tiny quantities of a pure Mourvèdre from vines planted in the mid-2000s. Like the Carignan, “Rien Que du Mourvèdre” (“Nothing but Mourvèdre”) spends a year in used barrels after a total de-stemming and a spontaneous fermentation, and it offers a fascinating combination of smoked meat, tangy acidity, barbecue spices, and lifted black fruits on its gently structured and energetic palate.