When we first opened the winery in 1989 we made merlot from the 11 acres right outside of our winery. That is all we grew and the only varietal we made for quite a few years. Merlot became the darling and we had great success in that market with a very good merlot. In the early 2000s, Merlot lost its darling status and was waning in the market place and then came THE MOVIE and merlot fell out of favor, even if it was a good merlot. We have not made merlot since 2002. We no longer have a merlot vineyard but were able to source merlot from vineyards right by the winery. We hope you enjoy it. Merlot is still a wonderful red wine that is enjoyable to drink.

  This 2011 vintage was picked in small lots from two vineyards, in September, right before the early rains. Both vineyards are on Limerick Lane. This wine is very drinkable now but as it keeps maturing it will manifest the red cherry, cranberry element you taste now and will develop into full flower. The vintage was very cool with a long growing season that allowed the fruit elements to develop very slowly. The nature of this vintage allowed these flavors to be delivered with delicacy and balance. This merlot is full bodied and more European in style with moderate alcohol and refined tannin structure.

Barrels:  100% French oak, 25% new for 14 months
 Tech Data: alcohol:14.2, pH: 3.55, TA: .65/100ml