Palate
Using Syrah as a blender adds
a dark velvety feel to the lush berry flavor profile of the Merlot. Dense black fruit aromas are
followed by blueberry and chocolate flavors, and supple tannins on the palate.
Growing Conditions
Napa Valley native and winemaker, Tony Coltrin, brings more than 40 years of winemaking
experience to Oberon, with expertise in sourcing quality fruit from the best vineyards in the
valley and understanding the region’s uniqueness for growing classic Bordeaux varieties. His
long-standing relationships with local growers ensure a consistency in the quality of the grapes
grown in premier Napa Valley sub-appellations for Oberon.
2013 is being called a “early, even and excellent” vintage for Napa Valley. Extremely low rainfall,
long stretches of warm summer days, and foggy and cool evenings helped to assist in perfectly
ripening our Oberon grapes. Due to the wonderful growing conditions of 2013, our vineyards
produced nearly 30% higher volume of perfectly ripened grapes than the previous three years,
allowing us to pick only the best fruit to go into our Merlot.
Tony accomplished a vibrant layering of flavors in the Oberon Merlot by blending fruit from
emerging Napa Valley regions that allowed him to take advantage of different soil types and
microclimates from around the valley. The Merlot was primarily sourced from Wooden Valley, a
small valley nestled against the Vaca Mountain range. Even though it sits on the eastern side of
the Napa Valley, the orientation of the mountain range allows for influence from the San
Francisco Bay Delta and the vineyards sit right at the marine layer line. The fog banks from the
delta creep up through the rolling hills of the valley, and this allows for a longer growing season,
giving time for perfect balance to develop in the Merlot grapes.
Winemaking
To naturally soften tannins and enhance varietal complexity, Tony gave the wine an extended
maceration. He then pressed the wine and transferred it to French oak barrels (45% new oak) to
undergo a long malolactic fermentation for roundness and depth.
Blend: 85.8% Merlot, 13.3% Syrah, 0.9% Other varieties
