Trentadue Block 500 Merlot 2008

The 2008 vintage was a nice follow up to the stellar vintage of 2007. Once again, Block 500 produced the highest quality Merlot on our Estate, so I bottled the wine on it's own for the second straight year. I divided the block into smaller lots for different fermentation treatments, using a different yeast for each lot and aging on the skins for varying lengths of time. The lots were then aged in different types of new European, French and American Oak and went through extended maceration post fermentation for 22 days. The wine's characteristics are typical to our Estate fruit with aromas and flavors of dark stone fruit, black licorice and earth. Further aeration reveals layers of blackberry, herbs, cedar and tobacco. On the mouth the wine is complex and full-bodied with ripe, balanced tannins, a juicy middle and long smooth finish. The low pH and tannin structure will support several years of aging.