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Wine Details
Price:
$34.50 per bottle
Description:
Our 2001 Columbia Valley merlot was produced from Conner Lee, Canoe Ridge, Artz, Hedges, Sagemoor, and Klipsun vineyards, on or very near the Columbia River in eastern Washington. While 2001 was not quite as warm as 2000, merlot ripened beautifully at all of these vineyards. Flavors were fully mature, yet the wine comes across as slightly more elegant structurally than the 2000 vintage.
This merlot was pumped over and punched down by hand two to three times per day in small stainless steel tanks. Some lots were fermented to dryness while others were pressed well before. After pressing, settling, and racking the various lots were moved to nearly new French barrels for aging and maturation. Following final racking, the wine was assembled and bottled in August of 2002 and laid down in our cellar for additional development.
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Varietal Definition
Merlot:
Merlot is known as a Noble Bordeaux varietal. Although it came to France in the first century, it was not named until the 1880s. Merlot was originally used only for blending, as it is soft and compliant, very useful in softening other Bordeaux wines like Cabernets. Recently in California and Chile it became popular as a 100% varietal wine. Merlot tends to be easier to grow in a variety of soil conditions and is harvested earlier in the year than Cabernet. Although most Merlots are made to be drunk earlier, there are many with complexities of a Cabernet. Flavors of plum, black cherry, violet, chocolate and orange pair well with rich, red pasta dishes, hearty chicken dishes, and any beef combination that you fancy. The perfect match of course is chocolate. Not only does the chocolate compliment the wine and vice-versa, but the essence of both flavors linger eternally.
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