Mourvèdre   

Mourvèdre is a great grape, though probably more widely used as an excellent blending agent, giving colour, backbone and and ageing ability to Rhône varieties right across the south of France from the southern Rhône to Roussillon.

It's tricky to grow, needing a lot of sunshine to ripen successfully, and fussy about where it thrives. It's summit is unquestionably Bandol, an apellation on the coast in Provence, where Mourvèdre is grown on terraces.

Mourvèdre offers firm tannins, natural acidity and an anti-oxidant quality that helps ageing. Old bottles can exhibit a wonderful spectrum of nuances both in aromas and on the palate.
Also often bottled on its own in Spain (as Monastrell), and California.