Winemaker Notes
Aromas of blueberry, vanilla, plum preservers, cherry jolly rancher, chocolate and molasses. On the palate there is lively acidity cranberry, cherry tart, mocha, milk chocolate, slight hazelnut and spice. Long finish, toasty oak component, cherry and plum remain on the tongue.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Ripe dark berries, plums skins, toasted cedar, cloves and chocolate on the nose. Full-bodied, wide and broad-shouldered with compact and supple tannins which are fine-textured.
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Wine Enthusiast
Subtle aromas of red cherry, toast and crushed rocks come together on the nose of this bottling. The palate is earthy with rock and soil elements, as fresh strawberry, minty herb and baking spice flavors complete the experience.
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Vinous
The 2020 Merlot opens with a perfumed blend of stone dust, lavender and wild blueberries. This has a lovely inner sweetness balanced by tart wild berry fruits and a gentle mineral undercurrent that adds a salt sensation. It finishes gently tannic and fresh, only medium in length yet impactful.
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 warmest part of the greater San Benito AVA, but cooler than the Central Valley, the Paicines appellation excels in the production of concentrated and high-quality, red Bordeaux varietal wines and blends.