Nose
A perfumey nose full of smoke, tar, raspberries and herbs leads into a silky sweet entry that has a smooth creaminess with great energy and brightness.
Palate
An extremely inviting wine that leans more towards having a merlot-like influence despite the Cabernet franc in slightly higher proportion. The finish boasts sublime tannins and pure finesse.
Growing Conditions
We purchased the land for this vineyard in 2001 after searching for a location that would allow us to produce profound terroir based wines. Located in Knights Valley, ten acres are planted, two-thirds to red varietals and one third to white. Planting was done in stages by varietal to create the three wines in succession. The elevation of this vineyard is 2300-2500 feet and its steep slopes and bowl shape create intriguing microclimates with mostly southern and western exposures. The soils are rich in volcanic ash – ideal for Cabernet franc and Chardonnay; clay for Merlot and Sauvignon blanc. La Mekerra displays a sense of wild animal, full of energy. The wines have floral dark fruit mixed with minerals and big tannic structure for the red and great natural acidity for the whites.
Soil composition: Clay and volcanic ash
Year Planted: 2003
Size: 6 acres
Vine spacing: 5’ x 3’
Clones: Cab franc 327/332; Merlot 181
Elevation: 2500’
Appellation: Knights Valley, Sonoma Valley
Varietals: Cabernet franc; Merlot
First Vintage Produced: 2007
The 2014 is a superb blend from our high elevation mountain vineyard and is a testament to the 7 years of wines being produced from it.
Aging
21 months 60% new French oak
