Ruby red, almost purple in color with a nose of black plum, mint chocolate and roasted coffee bean. Straightforward and balanced with flavors of toasty black cherry, a hint of black pepper spice and chalky tannins on the finish.
The rugged terrain of Northern Sonoma County is ideally
suited for growing Bordeaux varietals. The warmer
daytime inland temperatures of this mountainous region
are cooled dramatically at night as the cold maritime
breezes of the Pacific work their way up the Russian River
Valley. The rocky soils of the mountain ridges combine
with the lusher soils found in the lower bench-land
growing areas to provide a diverse range of flavor profiles
to this Merlot. The fruit was hand picked in the early
morning hours and entered the winery in a cold state
where it was hand sorted prior to de-stemming. An
extended cold soak of 6 days combined with twice daily
punch-downs in order to achieve full extraction and a
complex flavor profile. A light pressing was followed by 24
months in new and used French and American Oak prior
to bottling in July 2008. Lush black fruit flavors and soft
tannins are precisely balanced by bright acidity.
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Alcohol content:
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14.5%
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Sugar:
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0.00
|
|
Acidity:
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0.00
|
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Bottling Date:
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7/15/08
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Tasting Notes:
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Barrel aged for a full 24 months in French and
American oak barrels. Various Bordeaux cooperages have provided
barrels for this wine.
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Vintage Notes:
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100% Merlot. Vineyards are typically planted to
varying combinations of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
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Winemaker Notes:
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The fruit entered the winery in cold state
after having been hand picked in the early morning hours in order to
maintain and insure varietal accuracy. Clusters were hand sorted and
then de-stemmed. Whole berries were fermented in small tanks for
extended cold soak of 6 days during which punch down was done by
hand twice daily. Spontaneous wild yeast fermentation took place in
the late stages of cold soak at which time the lots were very gently
pressed in order to keep minimal the contact with solids. The wine was
then moved to barrel for its secondary malolactic fermentation.
Barrel aged for a full 24 months in French and
American oak barrels. Various Bordeaux cooperages have provided
barrels for this wine.
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Harvest Notes:
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Hand harvested over a four day period from Sept. 26th
through the 29th. The harvest dates for 2006 were consistent with
historical picking dates of late September into early October. Fruit had
gained outstanding phenolic development at ideal ripeness levels.
Seeds were a dark brown and fully evolved which eliminated any green
or bell pepper characteristics.
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Vineyard Notes:
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The 2006 vintage of Merlot is produced exclusively
from multiple vineyards in the key growing regions for Bordeaux
varietals within the Sonoma County growing region, including the
Alexander Valley and Dry Creek Valley AVA’s (American Viticultural
Areas). Grape selection consists of Merlot Clones 2, 7, and 8. Vineyards
range in size from 12 to 30 acres.
Soils from the bench-land areas are alluvial sedimentary
composites of sandy loam and clay. Hillside vineyard sites are a combination
of alluvial with coarse sand and loam with gravel and larger rock
deposits at the upper levels of the hillside vineyard sites.
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Custom Label:
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no
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Custom Etching:
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yes
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