Winemaker Notes
The 2006 growing season was marked by a very mild summer with a mid-July heat spike that accelerated ripening. Mild temperatures continued throughout the fall allowing for a moderately paced harvest. The long growing season brought complex and intense flavor and aroma development.
86% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Classic Duckhorn, which is to say, dry, tannic, elegantly structured and expensive. The winemaker succeeded, in this so-so year, in crafting a rich, nuanced wine of considerable interest. It may not be a longterm ager, but it’s delicious now, with deep flavors of blackberries, red currants, violets, cocoa and smoky oak, balanced with the prettiest acidity. Grows better in the glass as it breathes.
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Wine & Spirits
A dense and potently extracted style of merlot, this has smoky black cherry flavors that edge toward creosote and tar. It also has the warmth of the sun on rocky soils, like those at Duckhorn's Rector Creek Vineryard, a relatively cool site that provides the core of this wine blend. It softens with air, as it will in the company of steak.
As Napa Valley’s third most planted grape, Napa Valley Merlot shows time and time again its potential to produce exceptional results. Napa’s vaunted combination of climate, soil and the human factor of winemaking expertise lead to big, ripe, cellar-worthy and world-class versions.
Whether made by itself in single varietal bottlings or as an important role in Bordeaux Blends, Merlot continues a prominent role in this famous region. While Cabernet typically takes the lead role, Merlot’s contribution—even at 10% to 20% or so—is significant indeed. Often described as “the flesh on Cabernet’s bones,” Merlot lends a soft, round and plush character that beautifully complements Cabernet’s linear, full-throttle structure. Its flavors of plums plus subtle herbs and mint also dovetail nicely with Cabernet’s blackberry and cassis.