Folie a Deux Merlot 2017
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2018-
James
Suckling
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Wine
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For more than 30 years, Folie à Deux has crafted world-class wines that captivate the senses and evoke the nuances of the land. Today, we select our grapes exclusively from Sonoma’s legendary appellations, where each variety thrives in the local terroir. Together, these wines embody a pitch-perfect fusion of grape variety and region, offering a glimpse of Sonoma’s extraordinarily diverse terroir, region by region. Domenica Totty joined the team in 2017 and her extensive experience in the wine industry has given her a profound understanding of how great wine is made – in the vineyard. Join us on a journey through one of the world’s most coveted–yet accessible–wine destinations
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.
Nearly a northern extension of Napa Valley, Alexander Valley starts just north of the small, Knights Valley, and is just a few minutes drive from the Napa town of Calistoga. It is Sonoma County’s hottest AVA. But the Russian River, which runs through the valley, creates cooler pockets and its soft, alluvial soil is ideal for grape growing, especially Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, some believe that Alexander Valley Cabernets truly rival the best from Napa Valley and many of the heavy-hitter producers have largely invested here.
In addition to Cabernet Sauvignon, which makes up over 50% of plantings, Merlot and old vine Zinfandel thrive here. Ample, fleshy Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc dominate white wine production. Some old-vine plantings of Grenache have also been discovered and more recent experiments with Sangiovese and Barbera show great promise.