2016 Donelan Cuvée Moriah
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
Checking in as a blend of 67% Grenache and 23% Mourvèdre that’s mostly from the Dry Creek Vineyard in Bennett Valley, the 2016 Cuvee Moriah is another fine vintage for the cuvée, offering a spice-filled bouquet of ripe black cherries, ground pepper, leafy herbs, and earth. It has notable purity of fruit, lots of wood smoke and ground herbs on the palate, good acidity, and a great finish. It needs 2-3 years of bottle age and will keep nicely through 2026.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The gorgeous 2016 Cuvée Moriah is all class. Bright, vibrant and delineated, it beautifully blends 67% Grenache from Dry Stack (in Bennett Valley), 20% Mourvèdre (from Sonoma Valley) and 10% Syrah (from Sonoma Mountain). On the palate, it exudes balance and sophistication; the interplay of bright red-toned fruit and mouthwatering acids is compelling. The 2016 is one of the finest (maybe the finest) Cuvée Moriahs I can remember tasting. Don't miss it.
The 2016 Cuvée Moriah is a blend of 62% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre and 18% Syrah aged in 18% new oak and with 45% whole cluster. Medium ruby-purple in color, it features dried roses and granite with notes of strawberry, crushed raspberry, kirsch, crushed red cherries and a white pepper hint. Light to medium-bodied, it offers lots of juicy red fruits in the mouth, with wonderful mouthwatering acidity and firm, grainy tannins, finishing long with lovely sweet fruits. 476 cases produced.