9/29/2008
– decanted –
– tasted non-blind over 4 hours –
– 80% Mourvedre, 15% Syrah, 5% Grenache –
NOSE: rich aroma of dark cherries, spices, and autumn leaf pile (you know, the ones you jumped into as a kid); a bit alcoholic.
BODY: a very little bit of fine particulate matter is suspended in the wine; garnet color of medium depth; medium bodied.
TASTE: surprisingly pure fruit for a Mourvedre; blackberries and spicy raspberry meld quite well with the secondary notes of espresso and oak. The palate is full, but this wine doesn’t decimate your tastebuds like you might expect a Central Coast Mourvedre to. Rather, this is very well-balanced and comes across as a more elegant interpretation of Mourvedre. I could have done with more in the way of minerality, but that’s really a minor quibble. The finish is on the short side of long (45 sec.). I kept on waiting for this wine to fall apart as it approached room temperature, but it never did. This is drinking great now, but could also lay for another 5 years. This might be the star of Denner’s '06 lineup.
B: 50, 5, 12, 17, 8 = 92
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3/2/2009
– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind over 4 hours –
– 80% Mourvedre, 15% Syrah, 5% Grenache –
NOSE: enticing bouquet is loaded with pepper and brighter-than-expected fruits (loganberry and strawberry); there’s a nice earthiness that keeps the fruit from dominating, and the oak treatment is noticeable without being overbearing; an interesting herbal-floral aspect showed-up from time to time, as well; with time in the glass, notes of brown sugar and faint citrus emerged; really makes you excited to drink the stuff – lovely.
BODY: superfine particulate matter is suspended in the wine; garnet color of medium-deep depth; medium-full bodied.
TASTE: lots of ripe & peppery raspberries and blackberries are juxtaposed by an earthy bitterness – hints of camp-fire smoke and sandalwood; coffee grounds come through on the long finish (55-60 sec.); as with the bouquet, the oak is noticeable, but not offensive; palate is full and seamless, and the alcohol (15.2%) is well-hidden; very well-balanced with fine-grained tannins. Drinks great now, and I expect it to get better over the next 5 (maybe 10?) years as the oak is soaked-up. I haven’t had a better CA Mourvedre.
B: 50, 5, 12, 17, 8 = 92