Vintage:
We enjoyed a wonderful growing season from start to finish in 2012. A gentle spring allowed for textbook flowering and fruit set, followed by a long procession of warm, sunny days with no nasty heat spikes. Thanks to the excellent weather, the longer-than-average growing season produced perfectly balanced and ripe grapes.
Vineyard:
This cool climate Merlot is grown in our vineyards in southern Napa Valley, within sight of the San Francisco Bay. We blended in a small amount of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from our warmer upper Napa Valley vineyards to craft a complex, balanced wine. Committed to natural winegrowing and sustainability, we farm our five estate vineyards without artificial fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides and they are certified organic.
The Wine:
This is a Cabernet lover’s Merlot! Its bright flavors of strawberries, cherries, licorice and a hint of coffee are wrapped in a velvety texture that make your taste buds ask for more! The wine’s firm tannins and vibrant acidity create the perfect partner with beef tenderloin, rack of lamb, duck and barbecued pork.
Blend:
95% Merlot
5% Cabernet Sauvignon
TA: 5.7 g/L
pH: 3.68
Alc: 14.9%
Brawny and concentrated in black fruit, this wine includes 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and is touted as a Cab-lover's Merlot by the winery. It indeed is, with its juicy blackberry, cherry, espresso and clove notes, while remaining varietally correct in terms of its mellowed tannins. - Wine Enthusiast Magazine 90 Points
A solid Merlot that offers good structure and accents of currant, fresh herb and cedar. Drink now through 2021. 5,040 cases made.–TF - Wine Spectator Magazine 87 Points
