2019 Spring Mountain District Merlot

Vineyard

Properties: Bales Creek Vineyard
Appellation: Spring Mountain District
Clonal Selections:  181 merlot
Yield: 2 tons per acre

Growing Season

2019 Long, warm summer and mild finish to the season

The beginning of the 2019 growing season was defined by copious rainfall and late soil moisture. The long, warm summer saw very few extreme heat events, with foggy mornings setting the stage for vibrant and expressive wines. The long, relatively mild finish to the season, not without its moments of unpredictability, helped to preserve freshness and finesse in the fruit with abundant hang time teasing out great color, structure and soft tannins. Volume is looking to be about average to a little less than average. All in all, exceptional fruit with bright acidity and ample texture promises an amazing vintage.

Harvest Date:  October 11, 2019
Harvest Brix:   26.7

 
Winemaking

Hand-harvested, picked at night

Gently de-stemmed and whole berries transferred to stainless steel
Cold soaked for 48 hours
Inoculated with D21 yeast and fermented for 14 days on the skins
Free run juice drained from tank, settled for 24 hours then racked to barrel
Aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, 66% new
Coopers:  Orion
Bottled June 2021
Composition- 100% Merlot

 
Tasting Notes
 The 2019 Merlot opens with boysenberry, pomegranate, and red cherry aromas layered with violets, allspice, clove and anise supported by a distinct minerality.  Fresh and bright on the palate, the sweet fruit broadens on the palate with tannins candied on the edges finishing with the signature Spring Mountain cocoa powder tannins. Drink now or cellar for 5-7 years.