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Tasting Notes
Tasting Notes
This Napa Valley Merlot is a beautiful example of Napa Valley Merlot, showing exuberant dark fruit aromas of briary black cherry alongside spice notes of allspice and ginger. On the palate, there are elements of casis and the mouth-feel is rich with rounded tannins. The structure on the palate is more soft and approachable, with great acidity. A year of aging in European oak barrels added hints of sweet oak spices and dark espresso which are evident on the long finish
Technical Information
| Varietal | Merlot |
|---|---|
| Vintage | 2018 |
| Appellation | Napa Valley |
| Blend | 98% Merlot and 2% Petite Sirah |
| Oak Treatment | 100% French oak barrels (35% new) for 19 months |
| Alcohol % | 14.1% |
| Enclosure Type | Cork |
Scores & Accolades
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93
JamesSuckling.com
“A medium-bodied red with chocolate, hazelnut and berry character. Medium to full body, round tannins and a juicy finish. Nicely put together. Drink or hold.” - James Suckling, June 2021
Winemaking
Winemaking
After the grapes were crushed, we fermented the must in stainless steel tanks until dry. Gentle pump-overs during fermentation extracted flavor, deep color and tannins from the skins. We then pressed and transferred all the wines to small oak barrels coopered with French, Hungarian, and American oak to develop and integrate flavors. Following barrel aging, we blended the Merlot with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon to enhance its structure.
Christophe Paubert - Winemaker
For Christophe Paubert, Winemaker and General Manager at Stags’ Leap Winery, the identity of a wine is found through the terroir. Christophe’s career has spanned the industry from sales to winemaking, and his impressive background includes positions at Chateau d’Yquem and Gruaud-Larose as well as projects in Chile, Spain and Washington State. But it was the terroir of Stags’ Leap that drew him to California.
Vintage
Vintage
The Napa Valley region enjoyed a stunning, near picture-perfect 2018 growing season including good winter rains, mild spring weather and steady temperatures throughout that allowed for even flowering and bud break. These ideal growing conditions were followed by a cool, even and slow-paced harvest which allowed the winery to vinify wines at a gentle pace. The resulting 2018 wines are of very high quality with lower alcohol, concentrated flavors, color and excellent acidity.
Vineyard
Napa Valley AVA
Vineyards
We sourced the majority of grapes for this wine from the original estate vineyard in Rutherford and a little in Yountville from Shiplette Vineyard. These specifically selected blocks along Rutherford bench and western benchland of Napa Valley have very well drained soils which creates just enough stress to allow for smaller yields. The result is smaller berries and a higher skin to juice ratio.
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