> 2005 Columbia Valley Merlot - LIBRARY SELECTION
2005 Columbia Valley Merlot - LIBRARY SELECTION
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 Continuing our long tradition of Merlot’s aged exclusively in small French oak barrels and blended with small amounts of Malbec and Petit Verdot, our 2005 Merlot displays our signature chocolate, espresso, bright cherry and clove aromatics. The wine enters the palate with sweet plum and cherry flavors and transitions seamlessly into a mid-palate that is broad and viscous. The wine finishes with hints of vanilla and allspice followed by ripe, sweet tannins that linger for nearly one full minute.
What people are saying about our 2004 and 2005 Merlot
"The merlots are dense and deeply saturated, inky to the eye and thick against the glass." - Paul Gregutt (Washington Wines & Wineries - The Essential Guide)
2005 ColumbiaValley Merlot
December 2007 – 91 Points #43 Top Best Buy
2004 ColumbiaValley Merlot
November 2006 - 90 Points
March 2007 – Editors’ Top 45 Merlot Picks
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Detailed Wine Information
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| Acidity: | .55 |
| Alcohol: | 14.8% |
| Appellation: | Columbia Valley |
| Sub-Appellation: | 67% Red Mountain, 33% Columbia Valley |
| Bottling Date: | February 01, 2007 |
| Fermentation: | 100% French Oak |
| Oak: | French |
| Release Date: | March 01, 2007 |
| Tasting Notes: | Continuing our long tradition of Merlot’s aged exclusively in small French oak barrels and blended with small amounts of Malbec and Petit Verdot, our 2005 Merlot displays our signature chocolate, espresso, bright cherry and clove aromatics. The wine enters the palate with sweet plum and cherry flavors and transitions seamlessly into a mid-palate that is broad and viscous. The wine finishes with hints of vanilla and allspice followed by ripe, sweet tannins that linger for nearly one full minute. |
| Time In Oak: | 15 Months |
| Varietal: | 90% Merlot, 7% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot |
| Vineyard Notes: | 35% Ciel du Cheval, 32% Klipsun, 24% Conner-Lee, 9% Stillwater Creek |
| Vintage Notes: | The 2006 vintage will go down as fairly average in regards to weather, but an extraordinary vintage in respect to flavor and complexity. With a cool, somewhat wet spring by our standards, less than 2 inches of precipitation, followed by two significant heat spells in excess of 100 degrees in June and August, the weather during the 2006 season can simply be characterized and somewhat up and down. September began cool and slightly wet, then opened up to the most ideal 80 degree weather for nearly three full weeks. The balance of October was sunny, yet cool with some precipitation and finished with what now seems to be commonplace Halloween freezes. If your fruit was not in the building by October 30, you were subjected to a week of weather in the low teens. The white wines from 2006 are delicate, round and show charming varietal character. |
| Winemakers Notes: | All the grapes were hand harvested at optimal maturity and hand sorted over a conveyor belt before crushing and de-stemming. After a gentle crushing to maintain a high percentage of whole berries, the grapes were basket pressed and the subsequent juice was moved to stainless tanks. The juice was cold settled for three days and racked off the juice lees to the final fermentation tank. The juice was fined and then inoculated with Simi White yeast. This yeast was used specifically to enhance the aromatics and the fruitiness of the wine. Fermentation was held strictly at 58 degrees Fahrenheit to maintain the delicate esters and fruit flavors. Fermentation was stopped 44 days after yeast inoculation. The wine lees were mixed in the wine weekly for another month to enhance the richness and varietal character of the wine before bottling. |
| Year: | 2005 |
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