Glowing garnet in the glass here at 7, a rather beautiful example of the variety showing both things we all look for. On one hand the spicy, burnt, south France nuances shine but it’s all relegated into a rather BDX-like package: granting elegance and clean beauty. Transparent ruby with wide amber edges, the nose all polished sweet beauty tip-toeing on tertiary. Herbaceous-tinged fruit with perfect barrel treatment, the bottle-age showing a wine not going ANYWHERE quickly. Glorious cinnamon and allspice shine on muddy cherry and raspberry throughout.
In the mouth, it is thin and bursting on all sides with peppery berry polished into steely wonder. Bright and vivacious, the bitter churn of acid compelling all fronts into something I’m guessing is well below 14-oh. Those kind of numbers are hard to believe from the Sierra Foothills, but El Dorado can manage it with aplomb.The bricking nature of the visual–along with its transparency–make for almost grenache-like comparisons on the palate, and not everything points immediately to expected Mourvedre complications. A nice wine was made here, and drinking at near-peak. Absolutely glorious in all aspects.
2016 CRYSTAL BASIN Mourvedre El Dorado AVA Sierra Foothills 13.7
Stephen McConnell 