2016 Andremily California Mourvèdre

The 2016 Mourvèdre is composed of 89% Mourvedre, 9% Syrah and 2% Viognier coming from the Alta Mesa Vineyard in Santa Barbara County and Larner Vineyard in Ballard Canyon. Seventy percent whole cluster was employed, and the wine was aged for 21 months in French barriques, 50% new. Deep purple-black colored, it slips out of the glass with gorgeous fragrant earth, truffles and garrigue scents over a blackberry preserves and baked plums core plus nuances of chargrill and underbrush. Full-bodied, rich and seductively generous in the mouth, it has beautifully plush, velvety tannins matched by fantastic freshness, finishing long and savory. Only 210 cases and 'a few' magnums were produced. (LPB) (6/2019)

The 2016 Mourvèdre shows slightly more fruit, with rocking levels of blueberries, blackberries, scorched earth, dried spices, and graphite. It's another full-bodied, powerful wine, with loads of focus and structure, but it also has remarkable purity of fruit. It's going to continue gaining weight over its élevage and be a rich, full-bodied, incredible expression of the variety. (10/2018)

The 2016 Mourvèdre is taken from Alta Mesa and Larner, with dollops of Syrah and Viognier that round out the blend. Dark, savory and richly textured, the 2016 possesses tremendous depth and intensity in every direction. Next to the 2016 Syrah, the Mourvèdre is a bit more tannic and also more savory in profile, with a good deal of grippiness that needs time in bottle to soften. I would prefer to give it a year or two in the cellar. Leather, smoke, game, iron, tobacco, chocolate and incense build into the potent finish. This is a decidedly sumptuous style. (AG) (9/2019)