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Wine Details
Price:
$24.00 per bottle
Description:
The 2002 Miradero Napa and Sonoma County Merlot is a concentrated blend of rich Napa and Sonoma County fruit. Excellent vineyard sources, including our own Charles Creek Estate Vineyard, have delivered a wine with a supple, smooth texture. Crafted with the addition of Cabernet Sauvignon to emphasize its meticulous balance and tremendous depth of character, the 2002 Miradero exudes layers of rich, ripe, and spicy flavors. This wine opens with blueberry, currant, anise, and cedar notes, while layers of mocha-scented black cherries hover on the palate. The 2002 Miradero finishes with a long, toasty finish, as both French and American oak were used for aging, giving it the polished characteristics of an elegant Pomerol. Chocolate and boysenberry round out the finish for a truly succulent Merlot.
This wine is ready to drink now. Or with proper cellaring, it should develop quite nicely in the bottle. This 2002 Miradero Napa and Sonoma County Merlot offers depth, richness, and a long, elegant finish. It is best paired with sumptuous rack of lamb and/or your favorite beef dishes.
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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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Cabernet Sauvignon:
Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted and significant among the five dominant varieties in France’s Bordeaux region, as well as the most successful red wine produced in California. Though it was thought to be an ancient variety, recent genetic studies at U.C. Davis have determined that Cabernet Sauvignon is actually the hybrid offspring of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc. Cabernet Sauvignon berries are small with black, thick and very tough skin. This toughness makes the grapes fairly resistant to disease and spoilage and able to withstand some autumn rains with little or no damage. It is a mid to late season ripener. These growth characteristics, along with its flavor appeal have made Cabernet Sauvignon one of the most popular red wine varieties worldwide.
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