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2005 Merlot
Tasting Notes
Our 2005 Merlot is a lustrous, dark-ruby color with a lovely perfume of red and black currants, cream of cassis, pan grille, pencil lead, Asian spices and wild berries. On the palate, it is a rich, layered, velvety-textured wine with complex flavors of spicy ripe black fruit, earth, and cedar. This wine has a great sense of place, beautifully balanced with a terrific, long finish.
The Year
The 2005 vintage started off as a big challenge because the previous year has been a freeze year with very little fruit to harvest. I was somewhat anxious and worried about how the
vines would come back. We spent extra effort pruning, shoot thinning and crop thinning to make sure the fruit came back evenly. Mother Nature provided us with a classic wine-growing season. Bud break started around the third week in April, and very warm, sunny days filled the summer. We had plenty of heat units to fully ripen the grapes. Then the weather cooled off a little earlier than usual, dropping into the 80s around the end of August. This cooling-down period maximized flavor development. The wines from the 2005 vintage have terrific fruit intensity, show great natural acidity and are beautifully balanced.
Viticulture
Entirely estate; Certified Sustainable and Salmon Safe. Founding member of VINEA.
Wine Specifics
Varietals: 86% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec
Vineyards: 56% Pepper Bridge, 44% Seven Hills
Awards & Accolades
“There is a lot of wine in this estate-grown Merlot; its dusty, savory scents of tar and cedar complemented by a concentrated, sweet plum aroma. The flavors broaden into more complex terrain-the dark plum complemented with anise, clove, caramel and bread pudding flavors. Bound up and youthful, this wine will benefit from some cellar time. Then serve with roast beef.”
– Wine Spectator, 93 points
