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Wine Details
Price:
$32.00 per bottle
Description:
It’s rare to find this cherry component in California Merlot, largely because of the crop size. In France, the crop is kept small by regulation. Not so in California, where the strong demand for Merlot (‘Sideways’ to the contrary) has encouraged growers to maximize their yields. In 2003, there were approximately 50,000 acres of Merlot in California, and the harvest was over 200,000 tons, an average of well over 4 tons per acre. That same year, we harvested a mere 23 tons from the 14 acre Merlot vineyard on our Conn Valley ranch. In a small crop, you can smell the wild cherries! The smaller than normal crop aside, the 2003 vintage in the Napa Valley is a year of great strengths. The growing season was characterized by slow, steady and even ripening, so the color is dark and vibrant. In addition to that nose of wild cherry, there’s a lot of fresh fruit, soft tannins and wonderfully juicy flavors. The wine is already approachable. I served a bottle recently to some visitors from Michigan. ‘This smells of cherries,’ one remarked. I smiled, and said nothing, and thought of Harry Waugh.
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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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