WTN: Director Skinner

[David M. Bueker]

2014 Dirty and Rowdy Mourvedre Skinner Stoney Creek Vineyard - USA, California, Sierra Foothills, El Dorado County (2/22/2019)
It is hard to believe that it's been about two and a half years since I last had this D&R bottling. In 2016 I said it had me in the mind of Bandol. My very first sip last night did the exact same thing. I said (out loud), that if Hardy Wallace was making Domaine Tempier, it might taste like the Stoney Creek. Dark cherry fruit, leather, earth tones, some wild herbs, it was all there. It was just on a lighter frame. The structure was a little light for being Bandol-esque, but that just made it easier to drink. I still have one bottle left, and may leave it for a number of years, just to see what evolves. Fascinating stuff.

[Jenise]

Dark cherry fruit, leather, earth tones, some wild herbs, it was all there. It was just on a lighter frame. The structure was a little light for being Bandol-esque, but that just made it easier to drink. I still have one bottle left, and may leave it for a number of years, just to see what evolves. Fascinating stuff.

Such was the first American mourvedre I ever had, a Swan. Don't recall the vintage, but it's lighter-ness was not just tolerable, it was the magic. And as the wines aged, they got more peppery. Really special.