Merlot!

As I travel up and down both Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail, I find myself searching for a wine that isn't really the norm. Sure, Merlot is a wine most wineries produce, but what makes a certain Merlot special? Is it the appellation? The age of the vineyard? What about farming techniques? How about the winemaker? Or for that matter, the workers who pick the best berries, the workers who crush the berries, the workers who watch over fermentation, racking, and eventually bottling the finished product?

HOW ABOUT ALL OF THE ABOVE?


And, eventually I found it! Presenting the 2004 Grgich Hills Estate Merlot!
This is an excellent example of what a 100% Merlot sourced from four different vineyards, with different soil and weather conditions is!
The juice does indeed come from four separate vineyards - one located in south Napa County in an area known as American Canyon - one located in the Carneros area, well known for cool bay breezes and the marine influence year round - one from Yountville, about 20 miles north of the San Francisco Bay and the last, from a 3 acre parcel in Calistoga! Yup, quite toasty Calistoga. All four of these vineyards vary in age as well. This Merlot is not typical in extreme fruit qualities, just enough for you to say, "Merlot". What makes it stand out, is that small vineyard in Calistoga - due to the higher temperature concerns there, more spicey quality results, making this excellent Merlot more in a league with a Baby Cab. A great transitioning wine for primarily white wine consumers.


Add in the experience of Michael Grgich, and his nephew, Ivo -The result? "A taste of family in every glass."


Farming Techniques?


First of all, Grgich Hills is an Estate Winery, meaning that everything from the dirt on up to case storage is controlled by the Winery, nothing is outsourced! And, the vineyards, all 360 plus of them are certified organic - NO CHEMICALS AND NO PESTICIDES - The vineyards are also biodynamically farmed, meaning, they are cared for year round, during all the seasons, naturally. Please visit their web site for more interesting information about their farming techniques: http://www.grgich.com/


And finally, I salute those workers in the field and in the winery - the jobs they do is so important to the final product - the work is not glamorous, but very labor intensive. Without their skills, wine would not be wine as we know it today.


For more information on Great Napa Valley California Wine, please visit my web site:
http://www.mypersonalwinetaster.com/