Lambert Bridge Merlot 1999
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When the Chambers Family discovered this rustic stretch of Dry Creek they fell completely in love. Ray and Patti Chambers decided to make the winery their own in 1993. Their vision was heartfelt and enduring from the start: honor this idyllic land, farm and craft Sonoma’s finest small-lot wines, and create an inspiring setting to relish wine, food, and friendship. Utmost quality demands exacting, uncompromising methods. The limited production affords winemaker Jennifer Higgins intimate involvement and full control in every aspect of the farming and winemaking process.
Lambert Bridge's approach to winemaking is straightforward and relentless: chase excellence in every detail. By keeping production small and standards incredibly high, they make no compromise and spare no expense. The result is a portfolio of small lot world-class wines that captures the essence of the vineyard and vintage, year after year.
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.
Home to a diverse array of smaller AVAs with varied microclimates and soil types, Sonoma County has something for every wine lover. Physically twice as large as Napa Valley, the region only produces about half the amount of wine but boasts both tremendous quality and variety. With its laid-back atmosphere and down-to-earth attitude, the wineries of Sonoma are appreciated by wine tourists for their friendliness and approachability. The entire county intends to become a 100% sustainable winegrowing region by 2019.
Sonoma County wines are produced with carefully selected grape varieties to reflect the best attributes of their sites—Dry Creek Valley’s consistent sunshine is ideal for Zinfandel, while the warm Alexander Valley is responsible for rich, voluptuous red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are important throughout the county, most notably in the cooler AVAs of Russian River, Sonoma Coast and Carneros. Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Syrah have also found a firm footing here.