Nose
The 2009 Merlot offers olallieberry and freshly-baked gingerbread on the nose.
Palate
Plush
tannins overlay a well-formed structure, while flavors of roasted herbs and concentrated mountain-grown
blackberries blend togetherseamlessly. The weighty palate hints that this wine will continue to evolve beautifully
with proper cellaring. The finish features lingering notes of whetting stone and blue raspberries.
Growing Conditions
The 2009 growing season was steady and mild. Late, light spring rains provided natural irrigation while a
warm spell in June helped shut down excessive canopy growth. Temperatures stayed in the 80 to 90 degree
range – the "sweet spot" for slow, even ripening – through harvest.
Vineyards: Pahlmeyer Waters Ranch & Rancho Chimiles
Bottling
It was bottled unfined and
unfiltered on April 19, 2011.
Winemaking
The grape clusters were hand-sorted, and once de-stemmed, the berries were sorted again by hand on the way
to tank. After four to five days of pre-fermentation cold maceration in small open-top fermentors, the fruit
began 100% native yeast fermentation. Two to three weeks later, the fruit was gently pressed and moved to
barrel where it finished primary and secondary fermentations.
Aging
The wine continued to age in 80% new French
oak – a combination of Taransaud and St. Martin barrels – for eighteen months.
Appearance
Deep purple in color.
