Wine Advocate 91 - From vines planted in the 1890s, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2016 Mataro Oakley Road Vineyard has a gorgeous nose of raspberry preserves, kirsch and baked plums with hints of baking spices, tar and mossy bark. Medium to full-bodied, it has a wonderfully plush texture and great freshness supporting the baked berry layers, finishing on a spicy note.
Connoisseurs' Guide 90 - Once & Future is a fairly new project of Zinfandel master, Joel Peterson, and, if “careful crafting” is not a descriptor that often comes up when discussing Mourvèdre, it most definitely applies here. The wine is full, ripe and deeply fruity with a bent to berries and remarkably polished tannins, and it displays a sense of measured control from front to back. It is rich, but it is not in the least wild and unruly, and, while it is structured to keep, it does not demand lengthy keeping and is thoroughly enjoyable in the near term.