Ferrari-Carano Merlot

Description

TASTING NOTESSelect lots of grapes are chosen from our vineyards in Sonoma County to create this beautifully-balanced and medium-bodied Merlot. This is a velvety wine with a complex nose of fresh-picked raspberry, plum, blueberry pie, cedar and dark cocoa. A fleshy and generous mouthfeel is followed by flavorful notes of red cherry, smoky caramel cinnamon, mocha, espresso and toasty vanilla. With full, generous tannins that coat the palate, this wine has impressive length, lasting acidity and a soft, elegant finish.VINTAGE NOTESThe Merlot vines are farmed on diverse, low-vigor vineyard sites ranging from valley floor sandy loam and gravel to steep, sloped, volcanic rock hillsides. Overall, 2012 was a very goodyear with ideal weather conditions for the vines. Spring produced great set and average rainfall led to normal and above-normal yields. Consistently warm temperatures during the summer months without any heat spikes or major rain events allowed for longer hang time leading to fully ripe flavors.WINEMAKER NOTESThe cool climate, valley-floor vineyards produce supple, fruit-forward wine, while the mountaintop vineyard fruit lends intensity and structure. Upon entering the winery, the hand-harvested grapes are destemmed, cold soaked for five days and then fermented in tank before gentle pressing. The wine is moved to barrels for malolactic fermentation, blended early for integration of fruit and racked only once to maintain the wines fresh and vibrant qualities. The wine completes a total of 15 months barrel ageing, allowing for the perfect balance of fruit, tannin, and oak.FOOD PAIRINGSThe fruit forward, easy drinking qualities of our Merlot make it the perfect wine to pair with any red meat course, Italian entrees, and roasted or grilled fragrantly-spiced poultry dishes. – Ferrari-Carano