Nose
expressive aromas of black cherry, red plum and pomegranate with a hint of toasty oak.
Palate
Rich and juicy on the palate, the wine’s concentrated dark cherry, plum and blackcurrant flavors are supported by fine tannins and balanced acidity, leading to a long, fruitful finish showcasing pleasing cassis and toasty oak tone
Growing Conditions
2011 was a challenging vintage. The year began with a wet winter and spring, followed by atypically cool summer weather and several October rainstorms. As a result, the grapes ripened very slowly, resulting in a prolonged harvest. At Cakebread Cellars, we took an aggressive approach to the situation, extensively thinning our merlot vines to ensure the remaining fruit reached full maturity and sorting meticulously through the grapes at the winery to guarantee only the best berries reached the crusher. This reduced our production, but achieved our goal of making a rich, concentrated merlot with ripe, rich aromas and flavors.
Winemaking
We harvest, de-stem and crush each lot of our Napa Valley Merlot grapes separately, cold-soaking the must for 48 hours to extract maximum color and supple tannins from the skins. The various lots are fermented in a mix of small closed and open-top stainless steel tanks, and fermentation temperatures are adjusted – based on daily tasting – to maximize the extraction of color, flavor and tannin. We pay special attention to selecting just the right barrels in which to age each lot of our Merlot.
Aging
18 months in French oak barrels, 35% new
