Nose
Sweet, red berry fruit aromas explode in the nose. This wine shows layers of aromas and a depth of flavor seen only in great vintages.
Palate
The red cherry fruit flavors on the entry and overtones of red raspberry and currants in the mouth give the wine multiple layers of complexity. The oak and tannins lift the palate and give length to the “super rich”, concentrated fruit impression. It is elegant, with a supple texture on the finish that provides lingering fruit and a delicious balance to the wine. While enjoyable as a young wine, it will age gracefully for many years.
Growing Conditions
The elegance and concentration of our 2012 Merlot inspired us to bottle a small barrel selection separately as a “Reserve” wine. The 2012 Reserve Merlot, Napa Valley is 100% Merlot and it comes from three vineyards in the Napa Valley and one in Alexander Valley, Sonoma County. It is comprised of 64% Mt. Veeder, 24% Los Carneros (both V. Sattui Estate Vineyards), and 12% Alexander Valley Merlot. All vineyards are vertically trellised and carefully farmed to optimize vine balance and fruit concentration. The clones selected were clone 181 and 3 on 101-14 rootstocks.
2012 will be a vintage to remember. Near perfect weather conditions resulted in a rare combination of high quality fruit and an abundant crop load. Thanks to dry conditions through winter and spring, the 2012 growing season started off with an earlier than typical spring bud break, bringing it forward by an average of one week. A mild and sunny spring resulted in steady flowering and even fruit-set, allowing the vines to set yields as much as 30% more grapes per cluster compared to the previous two vintages. The summer months brought a lengthy stretch of warm days and cool and often foggy nights, with veraison taking place in early July, a full two weeks earlier than in 2011. The cool period at the end of September, followed by unusually warm weather in the beginning of October, allowed for development of a harmonious balance of acids and sugars and high polyphenol content in reds. The majority of fruit was picked at ideal ripeness prior to the arrival of rain in late October, making coordination of the avalanche of grapes arriving in the winery one of the greatest challenges of the harvest. 2012 promises to be truly exceptional; with wines of well-structured tannins, rich concentration, and developed aromatics defining the vintage.
Harvest
There were multiple picks beginning on October 3rd and finishing on October 12, 2012.
Aging
20 months; 80% new French oak, 20% seasoned.
Appearance
Very deep ruby/purple color in the glass.
