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2016 Merlot

$35.99/750ml

30 Cases Produced

IN LOVE. We love Merlot, and believe the Finger Lakes has the ability to make old school, herbal, elegant merlot in a way very few other regions in the world are able to do so. Blackberries, plums, currants and herbal, savory notes are balanced on the nose with gravel and stoney minerality. The palate is plump, but with tension and verve. This wine has a long future in front of it. 

100% destemmed, this wine saw a few days in cold soak, followed by some extended maceration after fermentation. This wine spent 18 months in barrel before bottling. 

Christopher’s Journal: A cold snap on February 14th caused significant damage to sensitive varietals, helping to naturally reduce yields. The growing season was warm and dry— in fact, the driest in recent history. This helped to produce clean concentrated fruit that saw full flavor development and fully ripe vines in areas that often struggle with too much moisture. While well drained soils struggled in some areas, harvest was early in many cases, which meant the grapes were largely in before the rains came on October 15th.

Merlot

A grape we hope to save from extinction! The sad sad story of merlot has been a bit of a blessing and a curse. When it lost its popularity, those who just made it for the masses pulled it out and started replanting pinot. But those who kept it, kept it because they were dedicated to it. The grape is sensitive to cold, but handles disease pressure well. Site selection is very important, as it is easy to lose the entire crop to winter damage if you are not on a special site.