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Wine Details
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Description:
Raphael’s complete commitment to quality is evident in the production of our First Label Merlot. The greatest of the Raphael wines, only the ripest, most concentrated grapes of the vintage go into the production of the Merlot. It is produced only in years where the grapes achieve optimum ripeness. Every cluster is individually selected by hand and inspected over our sorting table before being added to the fermenting vats. Following fermentation, the wine is transferred via gravity into 100% new French oak cooperage. (The use of 100% new oak is a rare technique used by less than 1% of wineries worldwide.) The summer following harvest, each barrel of the new wine is carefully tasted and evaluated to determine if it is worthy of going into the blend. As in a traditional Bordeaux style wine, Raphael Merlot may also contain varying quantities of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, or Petit Verdot, but it always remains at least 90% Merlot. Bottled without filtration, the merlot receives a minimum of 18 months of bottle age in our temperature controlled, underground warehouse, prior to release
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