The Data

Country   USA

Appellation   Adelaida District

Varietal   Mourvedre

Retail Price   $40

ABV   14.5%

Score   4.5 Stars/94 points

In the Glass

Brilliant, deep ruby color.

The aromatics are very intense offering scents of black currant, leather, and black tea with supporting notes of boysenberry, five spice, and rose petals.

The palate confirms the nose delivering a black fruit-driven core with flavors of black plum, anise, and mineral. The finish is long and lingering with chewy tannins and blackcurrant.

Full-bodied and perfectly balanced with a opulent texture.

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, Mourvedre. 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 most delicious varietal Mourvedre wines that we have experienced.

Analysis

The 2017 Tablas Creek Vineyard Mourvédre is Tablas Creek’s 14th varietal bottling of Mourvedre and it may be our favorite. In 2017 the years-long drought ended with the most January rain ever at Tablas Creek. All of the grapes for this wine were grown in Tablas Creek's certified organic and biodynamic estate vineyard. The fruit was destemmed and fermented with native yeasts in large wooden vessels and then fermentation was completed in 1200-gallon foudres. The various Mourvedre lots were blended in spring 2018 and then aged another year in foudres before being bottled. It drinks great now but it will likely reveal additional layers with a few years in the cellar.

How to Enjoy

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