DUCKHORN
2007 NAPA Merlot  $49.99
2003 Howell Mountain Merlot $69.99
2006 Three Palms Merlot $79.99

One of California's most famous Merlot producers, Duckhorn debuted with Merlot way back with the 1978 vintage!  Their grapes come from several locations around the Napa Valley, including the Three Palms Vineyard near Calistoga.  They now offer single vineyard wines, too.

The Duckhorn style is rather rich and made with an eye towards cellaring  potential.   It is not produced with the idea of being consumed 12 months after the vintage, though the wines are well-balanced and certainly showy in their youth.  
We opened a bottle of Duckhorn's 1979 Merlot not too long ago.  This was, at 21 years of age, magnificent!  Tasting their old wines alongside the new vintages, once can see the change in winemaking.  Today's wines are more plump and bigger, having (we suspect) higher alcohol and more fruit.  

The "regular" bottling of 2007 is quite bright and has a hint of wood.  This is a really "fine" wine.  I'm impressed by how polished the wine tastes at this stage and imagine it will age handsomely, too.  If you buy into the notion that Merlot is simply "weak" Cabernet, this wine may change your mind.  It's more complex than a good many nice Cabernet wines.

The Three Palms bottling is great.  This is probably the height of Napa Valley Merlot. It comes from a vineyard which is covered with volcanic stones...there's no "dirt" and the vines must plunge their roots way into the ground to find sustenance.  It's owned by the Upton brothers who bought the site in 1967 and planted grapes in the rock (neighbors thought the Uptons had rocks in their head)....
The Three Palms Vineyard was replanted in the 1990s and the youngest vines there went into the ground in 1999.    Wine from this vineyard is remarkable.  

 

More aggressive and big is their Howell Mountain bottling.  It's routinely aged a year longer than its stable mates, since the wine has more structure and tannin.  All are limited in availability.

 

 

 

SUMMERS 2006 Knights Valley Sale $19.99

Jim Summers spent a number of years in the banking business before cashing in his plastic pocket-protector for a tractor.  He and his wife Beth are living in Calistoga, Napa's northernmost wine town.  They're in the same neighborhood as Robert Pecota and Chateau Montelena.  

We especially appreciate the quality of the Summers' wine and also their sensible, realistic pricing policies.  

Knights Valley is an area north and west of the Summers' home base of Calistoga.  It's between Napa and the Alexander Valley.

This map gives you an idea of the location of various Sonoma County appellations.  

Jim makes a bit less than 600 cases of the Knights Valley  wine.  The 2005 is a deep, dark, nicely-structured wine (this means, in case you're not well-versed in eno-speak, that it's not a flat, flabby, Cabernet-Light sort of wine...it 

 stands on its own two legs and quite nicely, at that!).

The wine displays a lovely dark fruit fragrance.  Berries, plums, etc.  The oak is in the background...you can sense it's there, but the wine is not oaky.  The fruit is charming and it's nice drinking now.

 

CLOVERDALE RANCH

The Pellegrini family owns vineyards in Sonoma's Russian River Valley where the grow Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  In the warmer Alexander Valley they have Cabernet and Merlot.

Bob Pellegrini has long been someone who "sells" wine.  He doesn't understand how some of his neighbors price their wines at stratospheric levels and wait for customers to come throw money at them.  Pellegrini's wines are usually well-priced and good quality.  

 

The 2006 Merlot shows nice red fruit notes with a woodsy undertone.  The wine has a lightly herbal element and it's a medium-bodied, rather elegant wine.  Pellegrini is an "old school" vintner, coming from an era when wineries made wines to drink, rather than wines to collect.  He views his wines as meal-time beverages, not wines for pontification.  You can probably hold this for a few more years, but it's really drinkable now.

 

Currently in stock:  2006  CLOVERDALE RANCH Alexander Valley MERLOT  $19.99






COHO WINERY

This little wine company is a partnership between a winemaker named Brooks Painter and a marketing guy named Gary Lipp.  

Painter has been affiliated with Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Mondavi, Felton-Empire and Leeward wineries.  Mr. Lipp has been in the sales part of the wine business and was recently affiliated with the Chappellet winery, with names such as Chalone, Mondavi, Hobbs and Artisans & Estates on his résumé.

The pair chose the Coho name simply because they admire the tenacity and intelligence of Coho salmon.  

Merlot comes from a small vineyard in the Coombsville area of the Napa Valley.  The vineyard site has a lot of volcanic rock and produces very minuscule quantities of fruit.  This, of course, is the "secret" to the success of this wine...it's marvelously intense and comparable, in our view, to Duckhorn's Three Palms bottling, if a bit more supple on the palate.

Currently in stock:  2006 COHO Napa "Michael Black Vineyard" MERLOT $49.99

TRUCHARD

The Truchards came to Napa's Carneros region in the 1970s and started with about 20 acres of plum trees which they converted to vineyards.  Over the years, they've been able to buy up neighboring properties and today they have 400 acres of land with 270 of them devoted to vines.

Dr. Tony Truchard had been practicing medicine in Reno, Nevada before winding up in California.  One of his ancestors has been in the grape growing business without much success, but he was trying to grow grapes in Texas.  The Carneros region didn't have a whole lot of vineyards at the time.  The Winery Lake Vineyard, though, seemed to produce good fruit and both BV and Louis Martini had vineyards there.  Carneros Creek was a new project at the time, too.  

Robert Mondavi was interested in Truchard's grapes and so was Acacia and, later, Saintsbury.  

Many grape growers, seeing the price of the products made from their fruit, take the plunge and start producing their own wine.  The Truchards waited until 1989 before embarking on their own wine project.  Today they make many different varieties and they remain a leading grower in the Carneros region.

Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were said to thrive in this area and experts felt it was too cool for the cultivation of Merlot.  But the Truchards have proven those "experts" wrong.  With proper cultivation techniques, the cool Carneros region provides adequate "hang time" and maturity.

The 2004 Merlot from Truchard is a delicious bottle of wine.  It's rather much like most Truchard wines: elegant.  This is not an estate which makes huge, dark, full-throttle, high octane wines.  The style features more finesse and it avoids the "extreme" elements which some people find so pleasing.  You won't find 15% alcohol, tons of oak or residual sugar in the Truchard Merlot.

Instead, here's a wine with hints of plums and black cherry fruit.  Truchard's 2004 was matured in French oak barrels, about one-third of the wood being new.  Still, the cedary tones are complementary rather than domineering.  The tannin level is modest, so this is excellent right now and it ought to remain in good condition for another three to five years.  

Since they're not buying fruit on the open market, the Truchards can sell this wine for a rather reasonable sum.  We think it's one of the best Napa Merlots on the market and it's $20 price tag makes it all the more attractive.

 

Currently in stock:  2004 TRUCHARD Carneros/Napa MERLOT $19.99  (last bottles)





GRGICH HILLS

This well-established Napa winery is a fairly recent new-comer to the Merlot scene.

They have vineyards in Carneros and American Canyon (which are farmed biodynamically).  Grgich ages the wine is a variety of types of cooperage and oak is not especially noticeable in this wine...it really highlights the grape.

 

 

The 2005 is their current release and the wine has had, now, about three years of bottle aging.  It's a medium-full bodied Merlot, showing notes of tea and plum with a lightly dusty note.  The tannins are moderate and pairing it with red meat will allow the wine to taste more smooth.

 

Currently in stock:  2005 GRGICH HILLS Napa MERLOT  SALE $34.99

 

CORTE RIVA

The Corte Riva story in unusual, to some extent, in that it's a partnership of two gentlemen from the Philippines.  They both emigrated in the late 1970s and arrived in different parts of California before fate brought them together in the Napa Valley.  Lawrence Cortez and Romel Rivera were both vineyard workers and met while tending the vines up in Calistoga.    Lawrence is married to Romel's cousin Nieves, so this enterprise is now truly a family affair.

They started making wine in 1996 and, at the urging of friends, started up their own brand, combing and abbreviating the names Cortez and Rivera to Corte Riva.

The two, when they're not moonlighting with this little project, work at Pride Mountain Winery.  Romel is the assistant winemaker and Lawrence is the cellar-master.  

Most of the fruit for their 2003 Merlot comes from the Kenefick Ranch in Calistoga.  There's a small addition of Cabernet Sauvignon here, giving the wine a bit more body.   We find this to have a nice, sweet oak quality to it, but it's less "vanillin" than the Pride Merlot, for example.  

The 2004 is a deep, big, rich red.  Full-throttle Napa Merlot, with plenty of dark fruit (plums, black cherries) and nice oak.  

Production is tiny presently.  Only a few hundred cases were made.

Currently in stock:  2004 CORTE RIVA Napa MERLOT $49.99

 

 

 

 

 

TWOMEY
2005 Napa Merlot (List $65)  Sale $49.99

The proprietor of the famous Silver Oak winery is the owner of this new vineyard and cellar.

The Duncan family owns Silver Oak and they purchased a vineyard site in Napa's Soda Canyon area for the production of Merlot.  While many Merlot vineyards are planted in clay soils, this site features a volcanic terroir.  Further, Raymond Duncan and winemaker Daniel Baron planted particular clones of Merlot, which they claim are "French clones," rather than Californian.

Baron did some "industrial espionage" in France and is a big fan of the wines from Pomerol and St. Emilion.  One technique he brought back is called soutirage traditional.  This is a method of racking the wine from one barrel to another, but without pumping the wine.   This requires something called "gravity" and something else called "patience."  

The 2005 vintage is their seventh harvest.  Good work, too.  The wine is 96% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc (remember, Baron models his wine after those from Pomerol).  While Silver Oak Cabernets are matured in American oak barrels, Twomey is done in French wood, 65% of the barrels being brand new.  I find this to show lots of dark fruit notes and a modest amount of wood...it's certainly not the oak-laden wine of Silver Oak fame.  It's got good structure, so cellaring it for a few years is certainly appropriate, but you can drink one tonight, too, if you like.

 

SHAFER
2006 Napa Merlot  SALE $41.99

The Shafer family purchased a couple of hundred acres of property  in the Stags Leap are back in 1972.   John Shafer had been in the publishing business and something about farming lured him to this site in the Napa Valley.   The family planted some grapes and was selling fruit before making their own wine in 1978.  I recall visiting the place and finding this wine to be quite a good Cabernet:  rich, cedary, woodsy and supple...most attractive in its youth.  

They later added Merlot (amongst others) to the portfolio.  Their early vintages of Merlot were certainly pleasant, but simple and a bit fat and flat.  Over the years Shafer Merlot has developed most handsomely.  It is a rather deep wine with ripe fruit notes and a touch of oak.  I'm not sure I'd suggest cellaring these for any great length of time, but for short term drinking (three to eight years from the vintage date), this is an attractive Merlot.  

The 2006 is 'fortified' with 17% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Cabernet Franc.  Forty percent new oak.  Big and deep, but it's also a bit 'potent', being nearly 15% alcohol, so fasten your seat belt at the dinner table.

A fellow came in the shop two years ago, perusing the selection of "best buy" wines near the entrance to the store.  I asked if I could be of assistance and he said "No...I'm in the wine trade.  I'm fine."  
A few minutes later the fellow shouted out "Shame on you!  Shame on you for not having John Shafer's lovely Merlot in the store!!"  
I was shocked by this, since we do, of course, usually have Mr. Shafer's lovely  Merlot.  It turns out this rube was a grape grower and sells his fruit to Shafer.    Had I been quicker and more acerbic (than usual), I'd have scolded him with "Shame on you!  Shame on you for charging Mr. Shafer so much for those grapes."

STAG'S LEAP WINE CELLARS 2005 Napa Valley MERLOT List $42 SALE $38.99

The Winiarski family made some lovely wines at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars.  Now it will be up to the Stimson Lane folks to carry the torch.  Winiarski sold the place recently and cashed out at a time when California and Napa in particular, is highly-valued.

Much like their Napa Valley Cabernet (they have two single vineyard Cabernets and a "reserve" bottling called Cask 23), this is a wine which likely won't win blind-tastings.  It is neither excessively oaky, nor is it particularly tannic.  As both those features seem to be requirements for praise amongst wine "geeks", Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Merlot remains a popular item for those who actually pay for and drink a bottle of wine once in a while.  I suspect their Merlots last nicely for five or six years, but have not set any aside to find out! 

The 2005 Merlot comes from three vineyard sources.  Much is from the Winiarski's "Arcadia" estate. This is a vineyard site not far from the town of Napa.    There's also fruit from their Oak Knoll vineyard and a small amount of wine from the famed SLV (Stag's Leap Vineyard) property.

We were pleasantly surprised with this 2005 bottling.  It's got nice dark fruit notes and shows woodsy, graphite-like fragrances.  The wine is lush and supple on the palate...very fine!

 

 

FROG'S LEAP WINERY

John Williams is a big proponent of sustainable farming.  He makes some terrific wines which are very food-friendly since they're routinely under 14% alcohol.

Merlot grows nicely in Rutherford and Williams has a substantial vineyard of it near the Frog's Leap winery in the eastern part of the valley.  The clay soil is ideal for Merlot, especially one that's nicely balanced and immediately drinkable.  

The 2006 is the current vintage.  Medium-full bodied, the wine displays lots of red and some black fruit aromas with a hint of wood.  John is mindful of the level of oak in his wines, so he tends to use the barrels for maturation, development and a touch of "seasoning" for the wine, rather than making it the central theme.   We like the wine and expect it will continue to develop over the next 5 to ten years.  It's quite lovely now, though.

 

Currently in stock:  2006 Frog's Leap Napa MERLOT Sale $29.99






ROMBAUER

Rombauer is a former airline pilot-turned wine baron.  

He established a nice winery in Napa Valley along the Silverado Trail and has made a big splash in the world of Chardonnay, especially.  

 

But Merlot is a wine which seems to appeal to those looking for something soft, full-bodied and not too tannic or oaky.  The 2006 vintage is their current release.  
The wine used to carry a Napa Valley appellation and with this vintage, it's from the Carneros region.
Remarkably, even in this supposedly cool Carneros area, they pick the fruit at 26.1 degrees Brix and, miraculously it has, they claim, all of but 14.4% alcohol.

 

Currently in stock:  2006 Napa Valley Merlot (List $34) SALE $27.99

L'ECOLE 41
2006 Columbia Valley Merlot  $29.99

One of Washington state's most famous "little" wineries is today viewed as a much larger fish than a decade or two ago.

L'Ecole 41 is situated in an old school house and it's still family owned and operated.  Merlot has been their main red wine for decades and they continue to make good wines.

We currently have their 2006 vintage.  It's about 80% Merlot with 11% Cabernet Franc, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Petit Verdot.  Matured in small oak, there's a nice touch of wood to the wine, giving it a brown spice note to add complexity to the black cherry fruit of the Merlot, etc.  It's quite drinkable now and will continue to show well for several more years.

LEONETTI WINERY

One of the most impressive track records in the wine industry has been racked up by the Leonetti winery.  

Its wines are routinely in the "superb" column and they're remarkably consistent.

We have been fortunate to have been buying Leonetti wines for many years and we receive a few bottles of their Merlot each vintage.  We didn't discover them until after they gave up making Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Merlot Blanc.  

Their Merlot wines are nicely balanced in terms of fruit and tannin.  Oak is quite prominent when the wines are first released, but it seems to marry well and become nicely integrated with bottle aging.  

The 2006 is their most recent release.  At $85 a bottle, it's an extravagant purchase, to be sure.  But the wine is tops.

Currently in stock:  Please inquire.   No mail order sales.
Walk in customers only.

 

 

SELENE

Winemaker Mia Klein has quite a following for her wines.  She's associated with Fisher Vineyards in the Mayacamas Mountains, as well as having on her rsum wineries such as Dalla Valle, Etude and Araujo's "Eisele Vineyard".  Her own label is called Selene and Merlot is the flagship wine.  She sells most of it to restaurants, so it's not something that's easy to find.  The fruit comes from a vineyard in Calistoga and one in St. Helena.  Klein manages to capture a nice berry/plum character in the wine.  Despite using a significant percentage of new French oak cooperage to mature the wine, you won't find this to be particularly oaky.  

Currently in stock: Sold Out...





PAHLMEYER

The Pahlmeyer name is well known as the home of "celebrity" winemakers.  The place is owned by former lawyer, Jayson Pahlmeyer.

I believe 1986 was Pahlmeyer's first vintage, with his wine having been made in the early days by Randy Dunn.   The second celebrity winemaker was Helen Turley, but she, for one reason or another, moves on eventually and today the wines are made by the soon-to-be-famous Erin Green (though she's already famous amongst Napa Valley winemaking circles).  

Merlot from this property is rather huge.  They get fruit from various locations in Napa and blend in a tiny bit of Cabernet.  The wine spends about a year and a half in new French oak and it's a full-throttle, pedal-to-the-metal Napa red.   

Only a few bottles are available.  The 2005 has 11% Cabernet and a lot of showy oak...

 

Currently in stock: 
2005 Pahlmeyer Merlot (list $95)  SALE $87.99

 

CLOS DU BLAH

We recall a fellow named Frank Woods first stopping by the shop to have us taste his new Sonoma County wines.  Mr. Woods (Monsieur du Bois in French) was a former marketing whiz for some company like Procter & Gamble.  Woods started with a vineyard, then had wine made for him before finally building his own place.  He told me once that they decided to make a wine for immediate drinking since his market research showed that most people open a bottle of wine within 90 days of buying it.  

"Why make a wine that needs five or ten years of aging if people are going to drink it now?" he asked.  The other bit of method to Woods' madness was to offer his Merlot packaged with a blue label and an electric blue foil capsule.  

"Marketing studies show women are magnetically attracted to the electric blue.  Since many shop for food in the grocery store, we wanted a package which would get their attention."  

Mr. Woods ended up selling the winery in the late 1980s to the Hiram Walker drinks firm.  The focus of this place still features wines that are more market-driven than enological artistry.  The wines from this place are known in the trade as "Clos du Blah," as the wines tend to be rather bland and simple.  It's one of the few "grocery store wines" we have in the shop.  And the new vintage lacks the electric blue capsule.
  

Currently in stock:  Sonoma County Merlot Sale Priced $13.99

 

MARILYN MERLOT

The wines made under this label have been rather standard in quality, but then I have never met a customer who's interested in these who cared what was inside the bottle.

 

The current vintage is $24.99 and a perfectly pleasant bottle of wine.  Most of the bottles we sell are to "collectors" rather than people who intend to open a bottle.  In fact, judging by the folks who ask for this, I'd be surprised if very many of them actually drink wine.

 

 

CAKEBREAD WINERY

The Cakebread family has gained quite a following for its wines over the past couple of decades.

We find the wines a bit on the pricey end of the spectrum, but that's "life in Napa Valley" it seems.  If you need a gift and want the recipient to know you dropped a wad of cash, this is a good label...

Cakebread Merlot is a fairly deep wine, showing dark fruit notes and a whiff of wood.  It's ready to drink now if you're pairing it with something substantial in the red meat department.

Currently in stock:  2005 Napa Merlot Sale $54.99

 

 

 

 

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