Winemaker Notes
Epic, elegant and profoundly complex, this stunning wine draws you in with aromas of fresh cranberry, huckleberry, crushed rose petals, raspberry and graham crackers. On the palate, mesmerizing layers of black fig and cocoa powder mingle with the lush berry flavors, with a sophisticated note of minerality emerging on the long, resonant finish.
Blend: 98% Merlot, 2% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The Duckhorn Vineyards Three Palms Vineyard Merlot is an iconic wine that always demands attention with its yearly release. The 2020 vintage is alluring, persistent, and classic. TASTING NOTES: This wine excels with aromas and flavors of dried leather, bright berries, spice, and oaky notes. Serve it with an oven-baked, rosemary, and garlic-infused leg of lamb. (Tasted: May 20, 2023, San Francisco, CA)
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James Suckling
Black olives with some fresh basil and lemongrass aromas that follow through to a medium body with a juicy center palate. Savory and delicious. A little simple this year but well done for the vintage.
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Wine Spectator
Tense with structure, this red slowly reveals itself with savory plum and dried cherry flavors, highlighted by dusky spices and anise as this builds toward broad-shouldered tannins. Best from 2025 through 2031. 4,793 cases made.
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.