Mourvèdre is Spain's Monastrell, an ancient variety of the Levante whose two French names remember two ports of departure — Murviedro, the old name of Sagunto near Valencia, and Mataró on the Catalan coast. It crossed into Provence and the Languedoc centuries ago and settled where the proverb says it must: "head in the sun, feet in the water" — full heat above, moisture within reach of the roots.
It buds late, ripens later still, and gives dark, tannic wine of black fruit and wild herbs that turns meaty and gamey with age. It is the backbone of Bandol, where it must dominate the blend, and the M of the southern GSM triad, lending Grenache and Syrah its structure and its shadow.