Merryvale Silhouette Chardonnay 2018
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Jeb Dunnuck
Starting with the 2018 Chardonnay Silhouette, this medium gold-hued beauty boasts a terrific nose of caramelized stone fruits, Meyer lemons, white flowers, brioche, honeysuckle, and a kiss of green almond. It's a rich, medium to full-bodied Chardonnay with wonderful overall balance, nicely integrated acidity, background oak, and an incredible sense of richness balanced by plenty of freshness.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Chardonnay Silhouette reveals compelling notes of fresh grapefruit, green mango and white peaches with hints of struck flint, lime leaves and honeysuckle. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a wicked backbone of crisp acidity, lifting the citrus and stone fruit flavors to a long, steely finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
Made from estate grapes as well as fruit from other prominent sites, this wine opens in a mix of matchstick and fresh hay. Nutty brioche and stone-fruit accent a succulent and luxurious core of richness and weight, with a lasting lift of acidity.
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James Suckling
Aromas of spiced apple pie, lemon curd, marmalade and salted butter. It's medium-to full-bodied with mouthwatering, tangy acidity. Intense lemon notes on the finish.
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Wine Spectator
Vibrant acidity is loaded into the baked apple and dried pear flavors. Well-structured, with a minerally accent on a fresh, direct finish that also offers buttery hints.
Other Vintages
2020-
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Merryvale is committed to protecting and preserving the environment through conservation, renewable energy and sustainable farming practices at our three estate vineyards. Merryvale has received Napa Green Vineyard, Napa Green Winery and Bay Area Green Business certifications.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
One of the world's most highly regarded regions for wine production as well as tourism, the Napa Valley was responsible for bringing worldwide recognition to California winemaking. In the 1960s, a few key wine families settled the area and hedged their bets on the valley's world-class winemaking potential—and they were right.
The Napa wine industry really took off in the 1980s, when producers scooped up vineyard lands and planted vines throughout the county. A number of wineries emerged, and today Napa is home to hundreds of producers ranging from boutique to corporate. Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely the grape of choice here, with many winemakers also focusing on Bordeaux blends. White wines from Napa Valley are usually Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that claim specific wine characteristics based on situation, slope and soil. Farthest south and coolest from the influence of the San Pablo Bay is Carneros, followed by Coombsville to its northeast and then Yountville, Oakville and Rutherford. Above those are the warm St. Helena and the valley's newest and hottest AVA, Calistoga. These areas follow the valley floor and are known generally for creating rich, dense, complex and smooth red wines with good aging potential. The mountain sub appellations, nestled on the slopes overlooking the valley AVAs, include Stags Leap District, Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley (farther east), Howell Mountain, Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain District and Diamond Mountain District. Napa Valley wines from the mountain regions are often more structured and firm, benefiting from a lot of time in the bottle to evolve and soften.