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Wine Details
Price:
$18.00 per bottle
Description:
Merlot was one of our biggest successes in the somewhat uneven, unpredictable 2002 vintage. While Cabernet sugars skyrocketed, forcing some difficult harvest decisions, our Merlot ripened very evenly. Flavor, color, and skin maturity developed nicely and all of our Merlot came in between 24.5 and 25.6° brix and 3.3 to 3.4 pH, an ideal balance for our style. This is a very worthy successor to our 2001 Merlot, quite similar in both structure and flavor profile. We think the 2002 is one of the best Merlots we’ve ever produced.
You may notice that, unlike the 2001, this wine does not carry an Estate Bottled designation. While we like being able to use Estate and/or single vineyard designations, wine quality always comes first. We were willing to forego the Estate designation when blending with a small amount of Cabernet sauvignon brought more focus and intensity to the wine. (You would be amazed what a difference 2% can make in a blend.) Ripe cherry and berry aromas are followed up by a big, full, fruity, supple and velvety mouthful. There is just enough acid to give the wine a clean, fresh 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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