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Wine Details
Price:
$18.00 per bottle
Description:
Produced from a blend of Tempranillo grapes grown in the San Vicente growing region of the Baja Peninsula and Merlot grapes from California. The wine was aged in small French and American oak barrels for 8 to 12 months and bottled at the winery in Fallbrook, California. The marriage of the Mexican and California wines is a significant step in the development of the new wine industry utilizing old world farming and aging in Mexico with modern winemaking techniques in California. This wine has a deep red garnet color with aromas and flavors of dark fruit, oak, leather, spice and walnuts. It has a good acid balance and nice chewy tannins with a long smooth 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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Tempranillo:
The Tempranillo is to Rioja what Pinot Noir is to Burgundy. By far Spain's most noble indigenous grape it has similar characteristics to the Pinot - strawberries when young, earthy vegetal when mature - and it ages very well. It ripens early ('temprana' is the Spanish for 'early') is thick-skinned and gives good colour and extract but low alcohol and acidity. In Rioja it is blended with the more fiery Garnacha and a little Mazuelo and Graciano. It is grown throughout Spain but very much as a grape for blending as opposed to a straight varietal. Outside Spain the grape is quite prolific in Argentina and to a lesser extent in California.
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