Winemaker Notes
Once again, the famed Three Palms Vineyard has yielded a fascinating and luxuriously full-bodied Merlot. Aromas of huckleberry, black cherry, chocolate and fig rise from the glass, followed by hints of graphite, graham cracker, bay leaf and sage. On the mouth-watering palate the flavors are intense and complex, with velvety tannins and voluptuous fruit balanced by earthy undertones and Three Palms’ classic minerality, all of which carry the wine to a rich and remarkably long finish.
Blend: 89% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, 0.5% Petit Verdot, 0.5% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Elegantly structured and featuring concentrated cherry tart and raspberry pastry flavors that are loaded with toasty richness. Creamy and spice-filled finish is backed by firm acidity and tannins.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Duckhorn Vineyards Three Palms Vineyard Merlot is elevated, luxurious, and well-built. TASTING NOTES: This active wine offers formidable aromas and flavors of red and blackcurrants, oak accents, and a hint of earth. Pair with garlic and rosemary-accented roast leg of lamb. (Tasted: May 19, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
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.
One of Napa Valley’s oldest wine growing subregions but last to gain appellation status, Calistoga occupies the northernmost section of the valley. Beginning at the foot of Mount St. Helena, its vineyards stretch over steep canyons and roll out onto the valley floor. The soils in Calistoga are volcanic, which means they are heavy in minerals, low in organic matter and allow good drainage for vine roots, creating less green growth and more concentration of flavor within the grape berries.
Summer days are very hot but most nights cool down with moist ocean breezes sneaking in over the Mayacamas Mountains or from Knights Valley to its northwest.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the area’s star variety with Zinfandel coming in a strong second, though the latter commands far less price per tonnage so continues to be outshined by Cabernet in vineyard acreage, save for some important exceptions.