Clos LaChance Merlot 2016
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Merlot has often been an afterthought in the wine world, comfortably sitting behind the main stay of Cabernet Sauvignon. At Clos LaChance we bring Merlot to the forefront and give it the attention and dedication that it deserves and longs for. The Central Coast of California is a premier growing region for varietals like Merlot that thrive in more moderate climates and cooler temperatures. Merlot’s original home, in the Bordeaux region of France, has cool nights and mild afternoon temperatures – much like the Central Coast. Aged in Premium French Oak the Clos LaChance Estate Merlot is medium bodied with bright fruit notes coupled with earthy undertones.
Try pairing with Pear Braised Rack of Lamb, Truffle Cheese and Chicken Parmesan
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Wine Enthusiast
Fairly light and restrained on the nose, this bottling from a winery founded in 1987 offers pleasant tones of vanilla, red cherry and baked cranberry on the nose. The palate is fresh, with tight red-currant and baking spice flavors that are framed by grippy tannins.
Other Vintages
2017-
Wilfred
Wong
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.
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.