Our 2007 Merlot starts with hints of cherry, and moves gently into smoky oak. Red berry fruit aromas of plum, ripe red cherry, raspberry, and soft spice. It's a lighter, very pleasing experience on the palate.

The Napa Valley Viticultural Area is renowned for its long growing season marked by sunny, warm and dry days and followed by cool evenings. These growing conditions are ideal for allowing grapes to ripen slowly and evenly. A dry winter and warm, dry spring initiated an early start to the 2007 growing season. The weather remained fairly mild through the harvest months with the only heat spike occurring in early September. Temperatures cooled throughout the remainder of September which slowed the ripening of certain varietals and set a good pace for the rest of harvest. This allowed winemakers to focus on bringing in and crushing one variety at a time. Many wineries waited until the very end of harvest to pick some of the later-ripening varieties, and were rewarded with a very high quality crop. Overall, the 2007 crop was much smaller and produced lower alcohol levels in the wines than in 2005 and 2006, but quality is exceptional.

Our 2007 Napa Merlot is blended from grapes chosen from reputable vineyards throughout Napa Valley. The variety of grape sources allowed for a range of flavor components, making the wine layered and multidimensional. Once the grapes arrived at the winery during the harvest months, they were destemmed and crushed. The grapes were cold soaked for 3-5 days, and then underwent primary fermentation in upright fermentors at temperatures not exceeding 85°F. After primary fermentation, the Merlot wine completed malolactic fermentation and was racked and filtered prior to bottling. The wine spent 21 months in a combination of new and used French oak barrels.

Pairs extremely will with all meats, ranging from fish, to chicken, lamb, and beef. One of our favorite food pairings is dried cherries soaked in a few ounces of Merlot. After several minutes, take out a cherry and wrap thinly sliced smoked duck breast around the cherry. Skewer and serve with the 2007 Napa Valley Merlot.

SHIPPING ADVISORY: We strongly encourage Express or Climate Controlled shipping to protect your wine purchases. UPS and Fed Ex do not insure against damage caused by weather. Climate control uses a refridgerated truck for transportation from Napa Valley to to a regional hub and then is handed to the carrier for 1 - 2 day delivery. Trucks leave once a week, hence the longer delivery time. Please call 888-909-9463 with questions.