October 2011 Wine Pick Banshee Mordecai 2009

A few months back, I reviewed Banshee’s crowd pleasing Pinot Noir. After tasting a few more of their offerings, I found another gem. They are still purchasing excess lots from some high end producers that they are not legally allowed to name, but they did divulge that the Zinfandel portion of the Mordecai blend came from the highly acclaimed Turley Vineyard. This blend of Syrah, Zinfandel, Mourvedre and others is big and ripe as you would expect but not one dimensional. The fruit is dark enough with hints of earth and petrol to keep it from seeming overblown. As this bottle evolves in the glass with a little air the tannins soften into a beautiful viscous, velvety coating. At the $20 price point, the wines from Banshee continue to over deliver.

After graduating from the University of Maine, Bill took a summer job at a package store on Martha's Vineyard. His enthusiasm for wine began with red and white Burgundies, and soon grew to include Rhones and Bordeaux's, the Riojas of Spain, and California Zinfandels. Like many of us he fell in love with the world of wine. Bill remained on Martha's Vineyard for the next decade, tasting, reading and writing about wines. He turned the old-fashioned package store into a thoughtfully selected boutique wine shop. In 2005, Bill decided to move to the Cape, bringing his love of wine and expertise to Luke's.