The 2003 is the third Merlot vintage I have had the honor of making off of Thomas Moores great vineyard just east of Saint Helena. The grapes benefit from the climate moderating influence of Lake Hennessey, which lies just below the vineyard. Tom planted the grapes to a 6' x 10' row spacing at the crest of an outlying ridge which comes off the Vaca Mountains. The old vines struggle to gain sustenance from the poor mountain soils and the clusters in this vineyard are loose and are fully exposed to the gentle rays of the late fall sun. We hand-picked the grapes in late September and I spent the morning bent over the picking bins tossing out any leaves. On the way back to the winery one of our friends with the smoky bear hat pulled me over and gave me a ticket for having the picking bins too full! Seems he was afraid some might bounce out on the way to the winery. Anyway, after that, I ran the grapes through the destemmer and sent them to open-top tanks to ferment. Three punch-downs per day, pick at dryness, yada yada yada - the usual stuff. I barreled down into 50% new french oak - primarily from Never and Allier, mostly medium plus toasted oak (for those wonderful mocha flavors!). After 20 months in barrel, I bottled. Six months later we received the top award (Best of Class) at the New World Wine Competition, an international judging pitting wineries from around the world (excluding Europe) against each other. Not bad! I have a few cases left of this wine and would love to place it on your table. The nose is complex with black cherries, raspberry and a perfect touch of new oak. Supple and velvety. Gold Medal and Best of Class over $25.00, 2006 New World International Wine Competition Ninety one points, 2006 California State Fair 150 cases produced |
