Sawyer Cellars Estate Bradford Meritage 2006 Front Label
Sawyer Cellars Estate Bradford Meritage 2006 Front Label

Winemaker Notes

The 2006 Estate Bradford Meritage is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, all grown on the estate vineyards in Rutherford. A wine distinctive from both our Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, it shows aromas of black licorice and blackberry on the nose, with additional cherry, mocha, and coco flavors present on the palate. Twenty-four months of barrel aging in French oak have helped produce a flavorful, full-bodied wine with balanced tannins for a long, lingering finish. The Bradford Meritage drinks beautifully now, and should continue to age well for an additional seven to nine years.

Professional Ratings

  • 90
    Here's a balanced, young Cab-based Bordeaux blend. It's juicy in tutti-frutti Lifesaver candy flavors of blackberries, cherries and raspberries, yet is quite dry, and the acid-tannin structure gives it an elegant framework. Seems best now for its youthful pizzazz.
Sawyer Cellars

Sawyer Cellars

View all products
Image for  content section
View all products
Image for Napa Valley Red Wine content section
View all products

Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.

Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.

YNG857825_2006 Item# 119271