Mietz Cellars Merlot 1999
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The fruit was crushed with a warm fermentation (86-90 degrees) in open topped fermenters. It was fermented with wild and cultured yeast. After a 7-10 day fermentation-maceration, the wine was gently pressed and put into 75% French and 25% American oak barrels. This vintage was only aged for 14 months to preserve the fruit and cut down on the woodiness. The wine is unfined and unfiltered.
Tasting Notes : This wine is medium bodied, with a beautiful deep ruby color and mouth filling ripe tannins. In the nose the wine projects sweet-spicy and fruit based aromatics with raspberry. On the palate the feel is mouth filling and concentrated, with an acidity that is persistent. The 1999 merlot exhibits a spectrum of flavors ranging from brown spices to raspberry fruit flavors.
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.
Home to a diverse array of smaller AVAs with varied microclimates and soil types, Sonoma County has something for every wine lover. Physically twice as large as Napa Valley, the region only produces about half the amount of wine but boasts both tremendous quality and variety. With its laid-back atmosphere and down-to-earth attitude, the wineries of Sonoma are appreciated by wine tourists for their friendliness and approachability. The entire county intends to become a 100% sustainable winegrowing region by 2019.
Sonoma County wines are produced with carefully selected grape varieties to reflect the best attributes of their sites—Dry Creek Valley’s consistent sunshine is ideal for Zinfandel, while the warm Alexander Valley is responsible for rich, voluptuous red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are important throughout the county, most notably in the cooler AVAs of Russian River, Sonoma Coast and Carneros. Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Syrah have also found a firm footing here.