The Data

Country   USA

Appellation   Adelaida District

Varietal   Mourvedre

Retail Price   $40

ABV   13.7%

Score   4.5 Stars/94 points

In the Glass

Bright, medium ruby color.

The aromatics are very intense offering scents of red cherry, black tea, and leather with supporting notes of dried herbs, raspberry, and earth.

The palate echoes the nose delivering a red fruit-driven core with flavors of plum and baking spices. The finish is long and lingering with firm tannins.

Medium to full-bodied and nicely balanced with a opulent texture while being quite nimble.

Cool Factor

Tablas Creek is a unique winery in California seamlessly marrying Old World and New World winemaking and setting the standard for Rhône varietals in California — among them a lovely varietal, Mourvèdre. What could be cooler?

Value Grade

At $40 a bottle it's not a bargain hunter's Rhône Ranger of choice but this is one of the tastiest varietal Mourvedre wines that we have experienced.

Analysis

The 2015 Tablas Creek Vineyard Mourvèdre is Tablas Creek’s 12th varietal bottling of Mourvèdre. 2015 was a low-yielding vintage and much of their Mourvèdre was used in their Rhône styled reds but a portion was reserved for this 100% Mourvèdre. As is the case with many Tablas Creek wines it was fermented with native yeasts and then matured in neutral casks. 94 points.

How to Enjoy

This nicely balanced and nimble wine is great at the table pairing well with grilled pork, venison, and complex stews.