Unusually good for a California version of this Alsatian-style white wine, fermented bone dry. Aromatic notes of citrus, lychee and wildflowers, and lots of exotic spices. In the mouth, it’s rich and somewhat full-bodied, almost viscous, with intense fruit extract and crisp acidity. It’s fun to drink. A wine of terroir.
— S.H.
(9/1/1999)
This concentrated, well-wooded young wine pours black and streaky, and opens with complex scents of cassis, smoked meat, anise, smoky oak and vanilla. It tastes rich and candied now, with red fruit flavors and an earthy, truffly streak. The tannins are a bit rough around the edges. Try aging for a year or so.
— S.H.
(12/1/2003)
Mourvèdre is almost never a great wine in California, but a good one in the right hands, as is this dry, rich, stylish version. An interesting mélange of grapey, cherry-berry flavors infused with spices, herbs, chocolate and earth, wrapped in soft, gentle tannins.
— S.H.
(12/1/2003)
Nice and polished, an elegant wine with flavors of cherries and oak. It’s medium in body, with smooth tannins and a silky finish, and quite dry.
— S.H.
(12/15/2004)
A toasted-barrel-driven wine featuring smoky, toasty aromas—even a pungent coffee-like note. Subtle cinnamon and green-apple flavors sneak in, then the oak reasserts itself on the finish.
— W.E.
(6/1/2000)
Very dry and thick in tannins, with powerful plum, coffee and chocolate fruit and crisp acids. Those tannins really kick in and numb the palate, leading to a dry, astringent finish.
— S.H.
(12/15/2004)
Light in body and flavor, a simple little wine with herbal, mushroomy flavors and puckery tannins. Feels dry and astringent because there’s not enough ripe fruit to soften.
— S.H.
(3/1/2004)