The Vice Mount Veeder Merlot 2017
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Suckling
James
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The Vice Mount Veeder Merlot politely greets the nose with aromas authentic to an age worthy classic Bordeaux. On the palate, red fruits first tingle the tongue; then immediately layers of blackberries, plum, cedar and spice attack the mid-palette. Soft tannins disguise this wine like a spy, yet the finish is long, complex and well structured.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This mountain merlot has a very rich array of ripe plums and berries with a strong tannin presence on the palate, as well as a fresh array of mulberry flavors. Drink or hold.
The Vice Wine is a Napa Valley luxury wine brand made in small batches. Each batch is crafted from single grape varietals sourced from hand selected vineyards that best express the grape varietal and the region that it comes from. The Vice Wine is a result of passionate labor, sustainable farming, a long expertise of the wine industry and a current understanding of the consumer’s wine trend.
The Vice Wine is about as personal of a brand as it gets. Everything is done by the founders. They drive the truck to get their fruit, they crush, bottle, label; they do everything by hand when possible. We design the labels, work the market, and sell the wine.
They believe that the best wines in the world aren’t the most expensive ones. They thrive at providing the best quality wine at the best value.
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.
Centered at the peak for which it is named, Mount Veeder is Napa’s largest sub-AVA. But even though the entire appellation spreads over 16,000 acres, vineyards cover a mere 1,000. Scattered among Douglas firs and bristlecone pines, Mount Veeder vineyards extend south from the upper elevations of the Mayacamas Mountains—the highest point at 2,400 feet—to the border of the Carneros region. Less than 25 wineries produce wine from Mount Veeder fruit.
Winemaking began early in this appellation. In 1864, Captain Stelham Wing presented the first Mount Veeder wine to the Napa County Fair; it came from today’s Wing Canyon Vineyard. Prohibition, of course, halted winemaking and viticulture wasn’t revitalized until the founding of Mayacamas Vineyards in 1951 and Bernstein Vineyards in 1964.
The Bernstein Vineyards was actually home to the first Petit Verdot in California, planted in 1975. Today most of the Petit Verdot in Napa Valley originates from this vineyard.
Rocky volcanic clay and ancient seabed matter dominate Mount Veeder soils—perfect for Bordeaux varieties. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot enjoy spectacular success. These varieties produce wines rich in brambly blackberry and black cherry fruit with herbal and floral aromatics. Structures are moderate to assertive and wines have great staying power.
Chardonnay from Mount Veeder is lush, full and balanced mineral and fresh citrus flavors.