Porter Creek

Old Vine Mendocino County Carignane

9.117 ratings
8.91 pro ratings
Mendocino, North Coast, California, USA
Carignane
Top Notes For
MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET

Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com

8.9

I think @Jordan Mackay described this wine to a tee. While I enjoyed it, I wonder if it’s 100% Carignan. Could there possibly be an error in the identification of the variety? It is actually quite common in Californian vineyards and especially older vineyards to have a mix of varieties or believe it’s one variety because that’s how it was bought, but DNA testing can be surprising. This seems much more Gamay to me. In Paso Robles for example I know of some pretty famous winemakers and important vineyards that thought they had Mourvèdre and it turned out to be Graciano.

I think @Jordan Mackay described this wine to a tee. While I enjoyed it, I wonder if it’s 100% Carignan. Could there possibly be an error in the identification of the variety? It is actually quite common in Californian vineyards and especially older vineyards to have a mix of varieties or believe it’s one variety because that’s how it was bought, but DNA testing can be surprising. This seems much more Gamay to me. In Paso Robles for example I know of some pretty famous winemakers and important vineyards that thought they had Mourvèdre and it turned out to be Graciano.

2 people found it helpfulFeb 11th, 2019
Matt Richards

Flavorful and food-friendly.

Flavorful and food-friendly.

Sep 12th, 2018
Jason and Jennie

13%. Restrained. Better with food. Dark fruit but with a tartness to it. Slight medicinal. Low tannins. Throwing sediment. Only 24 bucks. Interesting find

13%. Restrained. Better with food. Dark fruit but with a tartness to it. Slight medicinal. Low tannins. Throwing sediment. Only 24 bucks. Interesting find

Jul 25th, 2017
Kevin Løk

Very smooth, a nice mix of acidity and sweetness.

Very smooth, a nice mix of acidity and sweetness.

May 7th, 2017
Sam Shepard

Tannins are very apparent but fade into white pepper. Some herbal, medicinal qualities

Tannins are very apparent but fade into white pepper. Some herbal, medicinal qualities

Apr 23rd, 2017
Dan Sully

Dan had this 6 years ago

Dan had this 6 years ago

May 28th, 2018
Brendan Wright

Brendan had this 7 years ago

Brendan had this 7 years ago

Apr 15th, 2018
Geoff Madeiros

Geoff had this 7 years ago

Geoff had this 7 years ago

Apr 7th, 2018
Oletta

Oletta had this 7 years ago

Oletta had this 7 years ago

Mar 3rd, 2018
Shawn Molden

Shawn had this 7 years ago

Shawn had this 7 years ago

Nov 9th, 2017