2009
Pahlmeyer Merlot
“Deep purple in color, the 2009 Merlot offers olallieberry and freshly-baked gingerbread on the nose. Plush tannins overlay a well-formed structure, while hints of roasted herbs and concentrated mountain-grown blackberries blend together seamlessly. The weighty palate hints that this wine will continue to evolve beautifully with proper cellaring. The finish features lingering notes of whetting stone and blue raspberries.”
— Erin Green, Winemaker, September 2011
89% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon
- Winemaker
- Erin Green
- Alcohol
- 15.2%
- Harvested Start Date
- September 24, 2009
- Harvested End Date
- October 3, 2009
- Bottled Date
- April 19, 2011
- Release Date
- April 1, 2012
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 80% new French oak – a combination of Taransaud and St. Martin barrels – for eighteen months. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered
Plush and richly structured, but with a dense, structured core, offering aromas of red currant and toasty mocha that lead to complex flavors of black cherry and Asian spice. Loamy, ripe tannins sneak in on the finish.
