Sagelands Merlot 1999
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In the winery, new equipment allowed us to gently remove the stems without damaging the fruit. We left the grape berries whole to maximize the raspberry fruit character typical of Merlot from the Columbia Valley. The grapes were "cold soaked" in their own juice for 2–3 days to bring out the brilliant purple color and wonderful blackberry fruit aroma. Fermentation at 88–92 degrees F brought out more intensity of flavor and color. Aging the wine for 12–14 months in oak barrels contributed rich chocolate and toasty-smoke aromas and flavors.
The wine grapes used to make Sagelands Vineyard wines are grown in four distinctive areas we call the "Four Corners" of the Columbia Valley. Each area contributes its own special character that, when blended together, creates wines of great complexity and richness.This vintage is a blend of fruit from the prime western and eastern ends of the Yakima Valley AVA; the Merlot came from Spring Creek Vineyard (54 percent), Red Willow Vineyard (29 percent) and the Sagelands Estate Vineyard (10 percent). The Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc were also from the Red Willow Vineyard.
Some of my favorite foods with this wine are grilled pork tenderloin, baked salmon, smoked meats, and morel mushrooms sautéed in olive oil spooned over pasta.
Kevin Mott, Winemaker
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Each vineyard lot has a character and personality all its own. Following crush, fermentation and aging in small oak barrels, Sagelands Vineyard’s winemaker brings these lots together in artful blends that surpass their individual components in richness, complexity and balance.
Situated at the western gateway to Yakima Valley’s wine country, the Sagelands Vineyard tasting room presents both exciting wines and inspiring views of the Valley and Mt. Adams.
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.
A large and geographically diverse AVA capable of producing a wide variety of wine styles, the Columbia Valley AVA is home to 99% of Washington state’s total vineyard area. A small section of the AVA even extends into northern Oregon!
Because of its size, it is necessarily divided into several distinctive sub-AVAs, including Walla Walla Valley and Yakima Valley—which are both further split into smaller, noteworthy appellations. A region this size will of course have varied microclimates, but on the whole it experiences extreme winters and long, hot, dry summers. Frost is a common risk during winter and spring. The towering Cascade mountain range creates a rain shadow, keeping the valley relatively rain-free throughout the entire year, necessitating irrigation from the Columbia River. The lack of humidity combined with sandy soils allows for vines to be grown on their own rootstock, as phylloxera is not a serious concern.
Red wines make up the majority of production in the Columbia Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant variety here, where it produces wines with a pleasant balance of dark fruit and herbs. Wines made from Merlot are typically supple, with sweet red fruit and sometimes a hint of chocolate or mint. Syrah tends to be savory and Old-World-leaning, with a wide range of possible fruit flavors and plenty of spice. The most planted white varieties are Chardonnay and Riesling. These range in style from citrus and green apple dominant in cooler sites, to riper, fleshier wines with stone fruit flavors coming from the warmer vineyards.