Top 100 Wine 2017 Wine&Spirits Magazine: "Winemaker Chris Pittenger is making a powerful case that mourvedre is destined to produce some of California's greatest red wines.[...] the 2014 is just lovely: frangrant with violet scents yet really substantial, with a hearty, buoyant black-plum flavor and incredible structure." 96 Points
96 Points Wine&Spirits | Harvest Wine Club Release
Top 100 Best Buy 2017 Wine&Spirits Magazine: "This is just plain delicious wine—its clean red-strawberry tone, velvety richness and refreshing acidity revealing the volcanic foothills of El Dorado County as prime mourvedre terroir. [...] maybe it’s that complex patchwork of volcanic soils that accounts for the dark mineral structure knitting together all that fruit, a hint of what one taster called smoked paprika. With air, the flavor becomes increasingly clear and penetrating, taking on a delicate scent of woodland violets. Delicious now, this should gain dimension with time in the cellar." 95 Points
95 Pts Wine&Spirits | Winter Wine Club Release
Mourvèdre has many names around the world. In Spain it is called Monastrell, in Australia it goes by Mataro, and in France and America it goes by Mourvèdre. This varietal is known for its meaty, earthy, and rustic qualities and is commonly used as a blending component in wines. More recently, winemakers are bottling it as its own variety to showcase its unique characteristics. Only 800 acres exist in California of which Skinner has about 3 acres planted on its two estate vineyards.
93 Points Wine&Spirits | Limit 2 Per Customer
This wine is a blend of 5 varietals with roots in the southern Rhone Valley. This is patterned after the white wines from the Cotes du Rhone and includes varietals such as Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier, Grenache Blanc, and Picpoul Blanc. Each varietal brings a unique characteristic to the blend, resulting in a balanced and pleasing finished wine.
92 Points & Editors Choice Wine Enthusiast
Petite Sirah (AKA Durif) is a cross between Peloursin and Syrah. There is typically nothing petite about it in style and flavor profile. It has smaller berries and thicker skins, thus a tannic wine is often produced. It was first introduced to California in 1884 and quickly became the varietal of choice in vineyards. While we don’t have records to confirm, there is a very likely chance it was grown and produced at J. Skinner in the late 1800’s.
91 Points Wine Enthusiast
We have five clones of Grenache planted in poor shallow soils onto low vigor rootstocks that limit yields and concentrate flavor. Our warm and dry Mediterranean climate, coupled with volcanic and granitic soils, makes our region ideally suited for this grape varietal.
91 Points Wine&Spirits | Limit 2 Per Customer
Syrah is a versatile varietal and has the ability to produce great wines in various climates and regions. Styles and profiles vary as you move from the cooler coastal sites towards the warmer interior vineyards. The Foothills based Syrahs are distinctive to the specific region in which they grow. Amador Syrah is typically bigger and rounder than the Fair Play (El Dorado) Syrah grown just up the hill, which tends to be more restrained and rustic in nature while showing pronounced minerality.
91 Points Wine Enthusiast
Six Horse, a sister brand, produced and bottled by Skinner Vineyards & Winery, pays homage to the original Skinner winery of the late 1800’s. Its purpose is to focus on legacy varietals once grown by James Skinner beginning in 1861 and throughout the Gold Rush Era. The name is derived from the 6-hp engine that was utilized at the winery and considered “high tech” at the time. Zinfandel is one of the varietals once planted by James and remains a prevalent and important part of the Sierra Foothills wine industry today.
90 Points Wine Enthusiast | Winter Wine Club Release
The perfect gift for the ultimate wine lover in your life features our Top 100 wines from 2017. “The Skinners’ investment in El Dorado County has helped generate a growing buzz around the Sierra Foothills, and their mourvedre bottlings are getting seriously awesome.” Luke Sykora, Wine&Spirits Magazine
We are releasing twelve six-packs featuring six wines that have received over 90 points this year. Don’t pass up this special opportunity to purchase all of our highly-rated, limited availability wines.
