2020

Merlot Hyde Vineyard

Los Carneros

$ USD

Release Price

-2030

Drink Window

14.3%

ABV

pH

TA

RS

Nose

Aromas of black cherry, ripe plum and blueberry mingle with violet, bay leaf, and graphite.

Palate

Medium-bodied and lively, the palate feels supple yet focused, with fine-grained tannins layered with savory cocoa and spice, finishing fresh with bright acidity, restrained oak, and a clean minerality.

Growing Conditions

The Hyde family is known for their expertise in growing cool-climate grape varietals in the Carneros region of the Napa Valley. They originally planted Hyde Vineyard in the 1970s. Their Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays are well known around the world, and their Merlot isn’t one to let those alone share the spotlight. This Merlot is meticulously farmed, which gives the Bouchaine winemaking team the amazing opportunity to translate that incredible terroir into the bottle.

Harvest

All fruit is hand harvested at night, preserving berry integrity.

Winemaking

After a 7-day cold soak, fruit is fermented with native yeast in an open top tank. Post fermentation, the wine is drawn off and the must placed into a basket press for gentle pressing.

Aging

The wine completes malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels and puncheons (about one-half new) and is aged on the lees for 18 months before bottling.

Food Pairing

The perfect pairing for this Merlot is roasted duck with cherry sauce or herb-crusted portobello mushrooms.

More from this Producer

Bouchaine VineyardsBouchaine Estate Swan Pinot Noir

Bouchaine VineyardsMerlot Hyde Vineyard

Bouchaine is the oldest continuously operating winery in Carneros, a region located on the southern tip of Napa Valley. In the late 1880s, a Missouri-born settler named Quincy Boonfly planted grapes and fruit trees on the property. An Italian winemaker named Johnny Garetto bought the land in 1927 and farmed it until 1961, when he sold to Beringer...Today, under the Copeland family's leadership, Bouchaine has grown from a pair of ramshackle buildings into a thriving vineyard estate. With imagination and passion, Gerret and Tatiana have fashioned wines and a wine country experience for visitors that is a distillation of their lives, both at home in Delaware and in Napa Valley.