Mourvedre may be hard to pronounce. Hard to spell too. But, the Sea Shell Cellars 2021 mourvedre is so easy to sip and savor, it won best in class! This honor is quite a feat for this blending grape since mourvedre is usually a background singer for syrah and grenache in the classical GSM blend. But the 2021 vintage needs no background singers. It instantly awakened my palate with big hearty notes of berries and plum. Its thick brambly mouthfeel reminded me of a dense rich petite sirah but the notes of black pepper, smoke, and meat were all characteristically mourvedre.

More from my time in this region.