Barnett Vineyards Spring Mountain Merlot 2014
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Robert
Parker
Product Details
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Winemaker Notes
The 2014 Merlot has a beautiful deep purple core and rim. There is great intensity to the aromatics, with dark plum and black cherries, complemented by caramel, menthol and anise. The palate is very silky and plush with more black cherry, crushed violets and baking spices. The tannins are chalky but integrated into this sizable wine, and the mountain acidity is bright and balanced. This opulent flavorful Merlot will definitely benefit from those with patience over the next 12-13 years (2028-2029).
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Merlot is the kind of Merlot that can get this excessively criticized and maligned grape back in the minds, hearts and palates of wine consumers. This is a beauty from the Spring Mountain District, a blend of 82% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Franc. A dense bluish/purple color with a big, sweet kiss of blueberries, black raspberries, a touch of cherry and licorice. It is complex, beautifully velvety, lush and exactly what Merlot should be. Impressive and long, this Merlot can be drunk now, or cellared for another ten years.
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With generous fruit and supple tannins, Merlot is made in a range of styles from everyday-drinking to world-renowned and age-worthy. Merlot is the dominant variety in the wines from Bordeaux’s Right Bank regions of St. Emilion and Pomerol, where it is often blended with Cabernet Franc to spectacular result. Merlot also frequently shines on its own, particularly in California’s Napa Valley. Somm Secret—As much as Miles derided the variety in the 2004 film, Sideways, his prized 1961 Château Cheval Blanc is actually a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
Above the town of St. Helena on the eastern slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains sits the Spring Mountain District.
A dynamic region, its vineyards, cut by numerous springs and streams, vary in elevation, slope and aspect. Soils differ throughout with over 20 distinct types inside of the 8,600 acres that define the appellation. Within that area, only about 1,000 are planted to vineyards. Predominantly farmed by small, independent producers, the region currently has just over 30 wineries.
During the growing season, late afternoon Pacific Ocean breezes reach the Spring Mountain vineyards, which sit at between 400 and 1,200 feet. Daytime temperatures during mid summer and early fall remain slightly cooler than those of the valley floor.
Spring Mountain soils—volcanic matter and sedimentary rock—create intense but balanced reds with lush and delicate tannins. The area excels with Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot and in some cooler spots, Chardonnay.