theCompass
 Home   Map   Blog Roll   WineCompass   Wine 101   My Compass 

Hawley Merlot

Hawley Merlot Wine Details
Price: $25.00 per bottle

Description: Made in a classic Bordeaux style, this is serious, mountain grown Merlot. It is deep in color, with complex aromas reminiscent of black cherries, blackberries, and plums with toasty, vanillin oak overtones from 20 months of aging in 50% new (and 50% used) French oak Chateau barrels. Again, no effort or expense is spared to craft this special wine. The wine is racked from barrel to barrel every three months to soften the tannins and eliminate the need for filtration. Though rich and velvety at release, additional cellaring will add increased complexity and depth.

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.


Reviews




Back to Hawley Wine information