2007
Pahlmeyer Merlot
“The complex and mouthwatering nose features blackberry compote, black raspberry and milk chocolate. Juicy yet firmly structured with sweet tannins, this focused wine is approachable young yet will evolve gracefully with time. A complete wine in every way.”
— Erin Green, Winemaker, September 2009
89% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Winemaker
- Erin Green
- Alcohol
- 15.2%
- Harvested Start Date
- September 28, 2007
- Harvested End Date
- October 5, 2007
- Bottled Date
- April 22, 2009
Winemaking Notes
The grape clusters were hand-sorted, and once de-stemmed, the berries were sorted again by hand on the way to tank. After four to five days of pre-fermentation cold maceration in small open-top fermentors, the fruit began 100% native yeast fermentation. Two to three weeks later, the fruit was gently pressed and moved to barrel where it finished primary and secondary fermentations. The wine continued to age in 75% new French oak – a combination of Taransaud and St. Martin barrels – for eighteen months. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
One of the finest Merlots being made in Napa… This sumptuous wine offers beautiful melted chocolate, cocoa, and espresso notes intermixed with black cherry, plum, fig, and blackberry fruit. This opulent, full-bodied, sexy, prodigious California Merlot should give Kapcsandy’s Roberta’s Reserve a run for its money over the next 15-20 years.
Good full ruby-red. Super ripe aromas of plum, tar, bittersweet chocolate, truffle, smoke and tomato. Densely packed and rather full-blown but with surprising acid spine; deep black fruit flavors are complicated by a wild, gamey quality and a tarry note.
A dense, powerful core is wrapped inside a plush and velvety exterior, with currant and espresso aromas. Delivers layered flavors of plum, grilled rosemary and cedar, finishing with firm but ripe tannins.
