Winemaker Notes
With a little air this wine is bursting with fruit aromas of Raspberry, Cranberry, and Red Currant mixed with lovely savory background. The wine is light on its feet with a silkysmooth texture contrasted with a dense concentration of flavor on the pallet.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of wild cherry, paprika and allspice. Medium-to full-bodied with silky tannins. Very succulent and juicy with bright acidity and pleasant freshness. Hints of white pepper and oregano come through. Drink or hold.
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.
Situated in the southeastern corner of Napa Valley in the Vaca range, the vineyards of the Coombsville AVA enjoy a long growing season mitigated by cool, San Pablo Bay fog.