Ray's Station Merlot 2012
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Wine Enthusiast
Concentrated and complex, this is a layered and packed wine. Dark chocolate, black cherry and pomegranate flavors are animated by a lively current of fine tannins, fresh acidity and full body. It includes 24% Cabernet Sauvignon. Delicious now, but will improve through at least 2018.
Editors' Choice
Not only popular as a rest stop, Ray's Station was gaining a reputation for its quality regional wines, made from grapes grown in the valley and along the lower slopes of Ray's ranch. Today, the wines of Ray's Station pay tribute to that pioneer spirit with a gutsy, food-friendly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that are testaments to the character of Captain John Ray.
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.
Reaching up California's coastline and into its valleys north of San Francisco, the North Coast AVA includes six counties: Marin, Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake. While Napa and Sonoma enjoy most of the glory, the rest produce no shortage of quality wines in an intriguing and diverse range of styles.
Climbing up the state's rugged coastline, the chilly Marin County, just above the City and most of Sonoma County, as well as Mendocino County on the far north end of the North Coast successfully grow cool-climate varieties like Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and in some spots, Riesling. Inland Lake County, on the other hand, is considerably warmer, and Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc produce some impressive wines with affordable price tags.