Mourvdre is the wild, brooding member of the southern Rhne family, and Lou Preston was one of the first Californians to take it seriously planting it in Dry Creek when conventional wisdom said don’t. The estate is farmed organically and biodynamically (Demeter certified 2015), and 2023’s slow, cool growing season gave the variety exactly what it needs: time to ripen patiently without rocketing sugar. Expect minty plum, pomegranate, cracked pepper and forest floor on the nose, dried cherry and orange peel on the palate, and the gamey, earthy undertow that makes Mourvdre Mourvdre.