Syncline 2006 Mourvedre

The Winery: Syncline
The Wine: 2006 Mourvedre
The Price: $27.99 at Seattle Cellars

This review is a result of an email I received from Martha in Portland who stumbled upon my reviews. So, Martha, this one is for you.

What drew me to this wine is the gadget-lover in me. The bottle has a glass stopper instead of a cork. I've seen beer with glass (or ceramic) stoppers, but never wine. So I had to round up a bottle.

I don't recall ever having a wine that was strictly a Mourvedre. I've had it in blends, but not as a varietal. So I really had no idea what to expect from the wine.

The Mourvedre is a very deep red, and has very well-developed legs. The wine has a rich, velvety appearance.

The wine has a very full-bodied smell. It is very rich, with scents of prune and cherry. Based on the look and smell of the wine, I expected it to taste a lot like a Pinot Noir. It doesn't. The initial flavor is sweeter than I would expect. It hits me like a cherry cordial, then it mellows to a rich, velvety plum taste. It is very, very good. I would go so far as to call it excellent. The wine definitely delivers on the quality I would expect in the $28 price range. A great wine with a cool stopper. You can't go wrong with that combination.