2016 Merlot
Merlot
CA - Santa Cruz County - Santa Cruz Mountains
$37.00 / 750 mL Bottle
- Alcohol 14.2%
A medium bodied wine with smooth texture. Excellent quality that shows typicity of the Merlot varietal with loads of dark fruit (dark cherry, dark plum) and dark chocolate balanced by vanilla, cinnamon, mint as well as dusty rose and clay pot characteristics. Chocolate-covered cherries in a glass. Pair with roast pork, stews, braised short ribs, mushroom dishes, vegetarian cuisine, spicy ethnic foods. Lovely on its own too!
Notes
The 2016 Merlot was produced from grapes grown on a self-rooted, dry-farmed vineyard in the Zayante area of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The fruit was hand harvested and gently destemmed without crushing into open top fermenters. Following a 24 hour cold soak multiple yeast were added to the grapes to start fermentation and enhance complexity and structure. The skins were punched down into the must by hand one to three times per day. Fermentation took place over 12 days. After the grape sugars were fully fermented, the wine was pressed from the skins and was aged for 21 months in 60 gallon oak barrels (33% new French Oak). The barrels were blended back together just before bottling in May of 2019.
Vineyard/Orchard Name
Zayante Vineyards