Winemaker Notes
Dishes with thyme or allspice enhance the beautifully fresh spice notes in this vibrant Merlot. Winery Chef Chris Kennedy suggests pairing it with savory cuisines like wood-fired wild mushrooms spiked with sage, Merlot-glazed barbecued chicken, or pepper-crusted grilled Ahi tuna.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Sweet American oak spice, vanilla, savoury notes, and a lovely delicate floral charm. A ripe tannin finish with a chocolately finish.
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James Suckling
Lovely balance and firmness to this red with blackberry, ash, black-olive and walnut aromas and flavors. It’s medium-to full-bodied with a tight tannin backbone and a fresh finish. Drink or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
Herbaceous and tart in red currant, this is a graceful and balanced red wine that is soft and supple in tannin. Ready for the table, it delivers consistency and structure without fuss, delivering elegant cedar and clove tones as it finishes.
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.
As one of Napa’s coolest sub-appellations, the area begs for diversity among its vineyards. Merlot and Chardonnay firmly compete with Cabernet Sauvignon for a place here. Some of Napa’s best Zinfandels also come from the Oak Knoll District.
Situated far in Napa’s southern end, Oak Knoll receives a strong cooling influence from both the San Pablo Bay and the Pacific Coast’s evening fog and breezes. Summer days are warm but on average ten degrees cooler than in St. Helena farther north up the valley; summer nights are chilly. A long growing season promotes for leisurely ripening of grape berries, resulting in an impressive balance of sugars, phenols and acidity.
Notable producers include Trefethen, one of the appellation’s oldest wineries, Robert Biale, legendary Zinfandel producer and Lewis Cellars, a family-run, hands-on establishment.