Winemaker Notes
Luke Merlot reveals the hallmark of great Washington Merlot – dark red fruits, rounded tannins and an opulent, smooth finish. Born on the Wahluke Slope, Luke Merlot's fresh flavors of plum, cherry, and blackberry dominate the mid palate while earthy flavors of tobacco, cedar, and clove marry the spices of vanilla and mocha to extend the wine's long lingering finish.
Blend: 95% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
A powerful blueberry scent blazes a path for aromas of loamy soil and rose petals dried between the pages of an old book. The wine’s flavor combination of black tea, marionberry muffins and oatcakes is like breakfast breaking out—only this meal includes tannins so muscular, they grab you by the lapels and steal your milk money
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James Suckling
Ripe berry, plums, sweet Asian spices, dark chocolate and cedar on the nose. Textured and refined with a medium to full body and velvety mouthfeel. Lengthy and balanced.
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Wine Spectator
Sinewy yet rich and polished, with handsome black and red currant flavors accented by mocha espresso and dusky spice notes. Finishes with refined tannins. Drink now through 2030.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Merlot is largely in the same style yet brings a touch more mid-palate depth and richness. It has medium to full-bodied aromas and flavors of ripe red and black fruits, savory herbs, and spice.
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.
Distinguished by a broad, south-exposed, uniform slope and landlocked by the Columbia River to its south and Saddle Mountains to its north, the Wahluke Slope AVA of Washington holds 15% of the total vine acreage of the state and takes its name from the Native American word for “watering place.”
Incidentally the Wahluke Slope AVA has one of the hottest and driest climates of the state so irrigation is not only essential, but also allows complete grower control of vine vigor. On top of its arid and warm environment, strong summer winds blow across this broad slope and ensure both smaller leaf size and grape clusters. The result is top quality wines with great concentration, phenolic ripeness, body and depth of flavor.
Vineyards cover the AVA from 425 to 1,480 feet along the slope. Its deep soils of wind-blown alluvium and sand with a depth, on average, of more than 5 feet along the continuous grade allow optimal drainage for the vines.
Thriving varieties include Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc.
Merlots are rich in sweet, ripe cherry, red currant, raspberry and cocoa. Syrahs tend to express black and blue fruit along with savory notes. Wahluke Cabernets are rich in stewed red and black berries.