![Napa Valley Merlot](../images/products/4752/bottle_merlot.jpg) |
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Wine Details
Price:
$33.00 per bottle
Description:
This Napa Valley Merlot is blended with 20% Cabernet Sauvignon from carefully farmed hillside vineyards. On the nose, it reveals a range of aromas, including black currant, spice, tobacco and a Bordeaux-like earthiness. The ripe fruit flavors it shows on entry are jammy and rich and give way on the mid-palate to more complex flavors of spicy black and stone fruit, baked cherries and hints of wild game and mushrooms. Aromatically, the wine continues to open up in the glass to reveal layers of spiced plum, cedar and cigar box, characteristics imparted by the healthy percentage of cabernet sauvignon in the blend. Supple tannins and firm acidity provide structure and add a fine textural component to this merlot’s long finish.
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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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