1999
Pahlmeyer Merlot
“Impenetrable and inky – purple in color, the nose offers aromas of ripe, smoky plum, cherry, anise, oak, and port like sweetness. The palate is full bodied and structured with a finish that has length and intensity.”
— Erin Green, Winemaker, September 2001
100% Merlot
- Winemaker
- Erin Green
- Alcohol
- 14.8%
- Release Date
- February 1, 2002
Winemaking Notes
The 1999 vintage was a fine year for Napa Valley. Although the crop was smaller than the 1998, the harvest offered fruit with intense richness, acidity and wonderful density. Grapes for the 1999 Pahlmeyer Merlot were harvested in early October. The wine was aged in new Taransaud French oak barrels for eighteen months before being bottled in April of 2001. Ten months of bottle ageing has allowed it to develop beautifully in the bottle.
Good full medium ruby. Superripe aromas of black fruits, maple syrup, mocha and graphite; at once roasted and vibrant. Supersweet in the mouth, with sappy black fruit and mineral flavors over a firm backbone. Shapelier and a bit less roasted than the 2000, with firm supporting backbone. This is very impressively concentrated California Merlot; the fruit spreads out and builds on the very long, firmly tannic back end.
A mouthful of wine that packs in lots of rich, deep, plush and concentrated flavors, with tiers of currant, blackberry, raspberry and wild berry fruit. Well-integrated tannins smooth out the finish.
