A pronounced spice-blackberry fragrance with a hintof vanilla leads into this wine's full-bodied, velvety palate with flavors of cassis and ripe berries, and notes of licorice and chocolate set in a supple yet firm structure.

Bright, sweet black cherry and plum compote aromas, complemented by tea-leaf spice and oak vanillin scents, introduce their lovely 2008 Napa Valley Merlot, which follows through on the smooth, round palate with succulent, mouth filling, ripe cherry and plum flavors. Displaying a deep, expansive mid-palate, fine underlying structure and a lingering, zesty finish enlivened by black tea spice tones, this mellifluous Merlot is delicious for current drinking, but will develop further complexity with another 2-3 years of bottle age.

Wine maker notes

The grapes are hand harvested, destemmed and crushed, and each vineyard lot is maintained separately. Before initiating fermentation, the must and skins are soaked at cool temperatures. Cold-soaking intensifies both the color and flavors of the finished wine. Fermentation is then set off with selected yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks and lasts for a period of six to seven days. During the initial stages of fermentation, the must is aerated by draining the wine from the fermenters and then returning it, a process called "rack and return." This stimulates the production of phenolic compounds which smooth and soften the tannins. These two techniques yield a wine of deep, full color and excellent fresh, fruity varietal flavors without harsh tannins. Following completion of the alcoholic fermentation, the wine is pressed from the skins and returned to stainless steel tanks for full malolactic fermentation. It is then racked into French oak barrels, roughly half of which are new and the balance of one and two years' use, for approximately eighteen months depending on the vintage.

Technical notes

GRAPE VARIETY: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon ALCOHOL CONTENT: 13.5%-14.5% TOTAL ACIDITY: 0.60g-0.65g/100ml RESIDUAL SUGAR: 0.05g-0.10g/100ml pH: 3.50-3.60

Producer

The Cakebreads show their commitment to quality through their years of family teamwork, their stewardship of the land, their care in growing and vinifying individual lots of grapes for each wine and their public programs for healthy living. The result is a world-class winery that crafts distinctive wines and welcomes dedicated visitors year after year.