Big red cherry, raspberry, and plum with allspice, and cola on the nose. The flavors are more cherry pie, blueberry, and a load of spice in the mid palate. Soft and silky with nice tannins and a long finish. Elegant and refined, a proper Napa Merlot. Delicious now and will age 8-10 years.
Destemmed and then left on the skins for 18 days. Aged 22 months in French Oak (50% new).
2018 Merlot, Tate Wine
$55.00
The Tate Merlot is sourced from the Canard Vineyard in Calistoga. When David and Suzanne were able to contract with this hard to get fruit, they weren’t sure what to call the vineyard. The Canard property is the original home of Reason P. Tucker, who was commissioned by General Vallejo to find the remainder of the Donner Party. When he got back from this horrific assignment he was granted this property, probably due to the wild level of trauma he probably experienced. (Just my guess.) The current owners of the Canard property, the Czapleski family, make a wine called The Rescuer as an homage to Mr. Tucker. David and Suzanne thought it most fitting to also pay homage, and dubbed their block of the vineyard Reason.
I know (we all know) that Merlot has gotten a bad rap from movies (lookin’ at you, Sideways), as well as from the prolific amount of crappy Merlot that was made in the 80’s and 90’s. I promise if someone is still growing Merlot, they are growing it properly and proudly. Merlot is a noble varietal, known for big fruit tones but less grip and tannin than Cabernet Sauvignon, making it more food friendly and more versatile while remaining equally age-worthy.