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Merlot, the great grape of Bordeaux’s Right Bank, can produce wine with brilliant fruit, but also earth notes and engaging textures. Grown in the cooler southern end of Napa Valley’s rolling hills of clay soil, it offers California richness tempered with structure and complexity. A little Cabernet Franc adds aromatic interest and completes the palate. This is what we seek in making our Napa Valley Merlot, a wine that appeals with a sophisticated sense of earthy richness, plumy fruit and a long balanced finish.
In a spectacular apex of the trend that began in 1999, our Napa Valley 2004 growing season showed us what global warming is all about. After a lovely, moderate summer with very little fog but no real hot spells, the last week of August turned hot and dry, with offshore conditions prevailing for almost ten straight days. The vines, which had appeared in fine shape before this, were quickly sorted out between those that had stamina and those that didn’t. The result was a small, but ripe vintage that is deceivingly easy to enjoy already.
All in all, we calculated that we left the equivalent of roughly seven acres of grapes hanging on their vines in 2004 (most of that Merlot). The remaining yields were the lowest we have seen in many years. That our partner vineyard owners allowed this, and that our crews carefully executed it, tells a story of how dedicated and critical is each player who contributes to a bottle of our wine.
Our 2004 Napa Valley Merlot is now full and luscious, in a sense the most classic style for Napa Valley. This wine is destined to be a crowd-pleaser, offering a juicy, rich mouth-feel and varietally true black fruits. Yet the tannins are round and mouth filling, so the resulting wine on the palate is still balanced. It answers firmly that a rich wine can be complex, nuanced and elegant.
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