Nose
With freshness emphasizing its southern Napa origins, the 2013 Merlot combines juicy dark cherry, plum, and pomegranate with subtle notes of cinnamon, clove and cocoa.
Palate
The generous fruit flavors, polished structure, silky tannins and lush texture show just how complex and refined Merlot can be.
Growing Conditions
The 2013 vintage began with a warm, dry spring that brought early bud break and created ideal conditions for flowering and fruit set. With no surprises throughout the growing season, temperatures were consistently favorable and even, resulting in notably healthy vines as fruit went through veraison and started ripening. The overall dry season made for an early and condensed harvest, and was ideal for producing an expressive and structured Merlot.
Winemaking
The grapes for this Napa Valley Merlot underwent a 2-3 week maceration period designed to extract ideal flavor, color and tannin from the skins. Using traditional winemaking techniques, Winemaker Christophe Paubert aged this Merlot in high quality French oak barrels (35% new) for 16 months. This deliberate lesser percentage of new oak imparts structure, ageability and a slight spice complexity to the wine that still allows the fresh fruit flavors to take center stage.
Aging
French oak barrels (35% new) for 16 months.
