2018 Tessier Mourvédre Goldbud Vineyard

Region: El Dorado County < California

Grapes: Mourvédre

Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Uncertified organic farming; high altitude vineyard; fine Aiken red volcanic soils; 33% whole cluster, lady foot stomped, then fermented and aged in neutral French oak; bottled unfined/unfiltered with minimal So2; 13.5% ABV; 208 cases

Winemaker: Kristie Tacey

We love Kristie, who's a total badass.  You get this immediately upon entering the Tessier homepage, where a provocative image of the 1965 film Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! and the Velvet Underground line, “Here she comes, you better watch your step,” welcomes you.  She is fierce, and not afraid to flex her power or her femininity. She’s also incredibly smart. I mean, really smart, as in former-microbiologist-who-worked-on-the-Human-Genome-Project smart. In 2006, she left the field of science for wine, but never lost the discipline, bringing that scientific precision and geekiness to her winemaking. She started her own project in 2009, working with a handful of family-farmed vineyards in NorCal. At first, she played it safe with more conventional California-style wines, but as she’s learned grown more confident, she has moved over to the natty side. But first she is a scientist, so although the wines are made in a very low-intervention way, they are clean and precise.

Like this gorgeous Mourvédre, inky and deep purple, that smells like purple things (lilac, mulberry and boysenberry) dusted with pepper and exotic spices.  It's tart and plummy in the mouth, with exotic notes like ginger and Chinese Five Spice, a soft, velvety texture and plush tannins.  Feels very decadent, and loves a slight chill.