Nose
Complex aromas of many exotic fruits; mandarin orange, mango, papaya, apricot and mineral notes.
Palate
On the palate, a bright entry leads to a generously framed mid-palate, with well-integrated acid, depth and volume. A natural roundness in the wine is combined with flavors of lemon curd, hazelnuts and marzipan. The long finish leaves behind lingering tastes of baking spice and toast. Silhouette is always an age-worthy white wine, and will gain complexity over the next 5-10 years.
Growing Conditions
Silhouette is Merryvale’s limited production, top white wine. Each vintage, our very best Chardonnay fruit goes into Silhouette. For the 2013 vintage, the wine is comprised of grapes grown on our Stanly Ranch Estate Vineyard and the neighboring Hyde Vineyard in Carneros. The 2013 vintage is showing tremendous promise and potential. The warm, dry spring brought early bud break and ideal conditions for flowering and fruit set. Temperatures were consistent throughout the summer with the exception of one heat spike in late June / early July. 100% from the Napa side of Carneros: 70% Merryvale Stanly Ranch Estate, 30% Hyde Vineyard
Harvest
Billed as the earliest harvest in recent history, we began picking Chardonnay on
September 1st. Grapes came in at a furious pace throughout the month. Overall, harvest finished about two weeks earlier than normal and yields on the whole were above average.
Winemaking
The grapes for Silhouette were handpicked at peak ripeness, and hand sorted before a gentle whole cluster pressing. Long, cool native primary and malolactic fermentations with extended lees contact.
Aging
The wine was aged for 20 months in 40% new French oak barrels.
Appearance
Our 2013 Silhouette is golden straw in color
