Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Coombsville AVA has produced a 2014 Merlot for Merryvale that is 100% Merlot. Chocolaty coffee and espresso notes intermixed with black cherry and berry fruit are enticing. This is a plump, succulent, hedonistic style of Merlot to drink over the next decade. It is no shy wine at 14.9% alcohol, and the price is realistic at $55.
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Wine Enthusiast
This 100% varietal wine from Truchard Vineyard is dark and inky, made in big, bold style. Cedar, pine and tart black-currant notes provide one side of its personality, as more richly concentrated chocolate and blackberry flavors give it oomph.
As Napa Valley’s third most planted grape, Napa Valley Merlot shows time and time again its potential to produce exceptional results. Napa’s vaunted combination of climate, soil and the human factor of winemaking expertise lead to big, ripe, cellar-worthy and world-class versions.
Whether made by itself in single varietal bottlings or as an important role in Bordeaux Blends, Merlot continues a prominent role in this famous region. While Cabernet typically takes the lead role, Merlot’s contribution—even at 10% to 20% or so—is significant indeed. Often described as “the flesh on Cabernet’s bones,” Merlot lends a soft, round and plush character that beautifully complements Cabernet’s linear, full-throttle structure. Its flavors of plums plus subtle herbs and mint also dovetail nicely with Cabernet’s blackberry and cassis.