TN: Tercero Mourvedre SB County 2011

This was maybe my favorite of Larry’s many great wines I’ve tasted, and I hoarded my last bottle of it for many years (1) to see how it would age, (2) because I tend to have difficulty parting with the last one of wines I love, and (3) with the confidence it would age well under screwcap.

My TN from a Tercero tasting I hosted, with Larry in attendance, back in 2015:

2011 Mourvedre, Santa Barbara County. To me, this was the most thrilling red of the evening. This receives the Santa Barbara County designation, because Larry went with a blend of the warm Camp 4 Vineyard and the cool Larner Vineyard. The blend, combined with the cool precision of the 2011 vintage, work wonders on this bottle. This is still a young wine, with considerable improvement ahead. It shows brambly blackberry fruit, black pepper, mineral and leather. With some time, some of the trademark beef and blood flavors are suggested. I’ll be quite excited to purchase this wine and watch it develop over the next 5+ years.

If you want to visit that whole tasting: Epic tasting of 15 Tercero wines with Larry - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers

So we had the last bottle tonight, with Flannery 24 ounce New York steaks, in our back yard on a perfect evening. The contents of the bottle are in pristine condition, thanks to Larry’s winemaking and smart use of the screwcap closure, yet – contrary to frequent ill-informed opinions – the wine has gradually aged and evolved in the seven years since my earlier tasting note.

There is still plenty of fruit, of the cool, fresh, dark berry variety. The wine retains high Old Worldish acidity and has great persistence through and after tasting, but any tannins have mostly faded, and the fruit is thankfully not masked by any noticeable oak signature. There is a hint of black olive on the finish, which adds interest. On the nose, you get more of the varietal signature, subtle notes of beef broth, damp earth and tobacco, but on the nose and palate they remain in the background and are more for the thinking taster to note than in the face of someone just happily gulping it.

The wine is overall more harmonious, and quieter, than in its youth, but it certainly should do well for the next five years or more, too.

It’s a pleasure to savor this bottle, and it’s a good reminder to me that I should refill my cellar with some other vintages of Larry’s mourvedre wines. Great stuff, Larry.

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