2020 Element Merlot “Equilibrium Wine Farm”
$75.00 / 750ml
25 Cases Produced
It’s been a while since we released a varietal merlot, making me even more excited to share this wine with you; 2020 Element Merlot Equilibrium Wine Farm (only 26 cases(!), 60 magnums, 18 jeroboams). 2020 was a strange year for all of us, but in the finger lakes, the upside was a truly spectacular vintage…unless you were one of the two farms that got decimated by hail. Our yields where GREATLY reduced as hail snapped canes from vines and tore clusters from their canes. But the fruit that remained was nothing short of stunning. Deep in color, the wine starts immediately with dark fruit aromas focused on blackberries, black plums and black cherry, with hints of tree bark, cocoa, and earthy spices. The palate is coating, with rich mocha like notes and pepper, playing on the long finish. . The palate is extracted, with big, grippy tannins on a long finish. This wine benefits from a little time in a decanter now but will slowly soften over the next few decades.
Christopher’s Notes: A truly spectacular vintage in the Finger Lakes, with a warm dry summer, leading to a long beautiful harvest season delivering ripe fruit, with thick skins and high extract. This was only amplified at Equilibrium Wine Farm, due to a highly localized hail event that destroyed 90-95% of our crop in a matter of minutes, ironically, the day after we finished a week long process of green harvesting to reduce yields. But, the tiny quantities of fruits we were able to harvest were spectacular.
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.
Merlot was starting to really shine in the Finger Lakes in the years leading up to “Sideways”, but, took a big step back with that iconic line. But, now, nearly two decades later, its time reassess its potential for quality here.
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