Nose
Hints of chocolate and black fruits in the nose.
Palate
Despite its’ youth, the 1997 Merlot is forward and well integrated, with creamy, ripe fruit flavors, big tannins, super- concentrated with a long lingering full finish.
Growing Conditions
The grapes for our 1997 Merlot were carefully chosen from a small handful of prestigious vineyards.
Vineyards: Napanook, Rancho Chimiles, Caldwell Vineyard, Hossfeld Vineyard, Moon Vineyard.
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Bottling
Bottled, unfined and unfiltered.
Winemaking
The lots for this wine were made from fully ripe grapes, brought to the winery in small bins and de-stemmed only. The whole berries are then fermented with wild yeasts.
Aging
The Merlot is aged in a combination of new (80%) small French oak barrels, and one-year-old small French oak barrels for approximately 18 months.
Appearance
Intense, deep, red-purple color.
