Brutocao Bliss Vineyards Merlot 2015
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Grandfather Irv Bliss purchased the Mendocino County property in the mid- 1940s. When the family began making wine in 1991, they chose the Lion of St. Mark, modeled after a lion at St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice, as their symbol of family tradition and quality.
That quality comes from the location of their 475 acres of vineyards in southern Mendocino County. The Brutocao family tradition of serving wine at the table means wines that are produced with good food and good friends in mind.
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.
A large and diverse appellation within California’s North Coast AVA, Mendocino is home to several smaller sub-regions—most notably the Anderson Valley. This scenic region, with rolling hills covered in redwood forests as well as vineyards, is one of the world’s top producers of certified organically-grown grapes. Due to wide geographical and climatic variation, a vast array of wine styles can be found here.