Duckhorn's Three Palms Vineyard has been described as producing fruit for consistently one of the best Merlots in California. The 2019 vintage is darkest ruby in the glass (almost inky) with a nose and palate of bright, red cherry and muted oak. It has a lengthy and lip-smacking finish. I made the mistake of popping and pouring the wine the first time that it was tasted. Without air, it was quite a disappointment -- especially, for a $100 bottle. I scored it a 90, and was left scratching my head and wondering if, I was drinking the same wine that my CT brethren had described. A 5-hour decant, however, softened its fierce tannins and allowed its beautiful fruit to emerge.
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Duckhorn Tasting, Oenocosmos (Drakoulis meat, Kolonaki): Drought vintage, considered an outstanding vintage, Merlot, 74-75ha, Calistoga, planted in late ‘60s, bought by Duckhorn in 2015, alluvial soil, now an average of 25yo, 75% new French oak, 25% neutral, 18 months -/- Fragrant, fresh red cherries, loads of oak derived notes, sweet spice notes, wood varnish notes, alcohol heat, rum-like profile, tense, very ripe fruit Palate copying the flavor profile of the nose, very ripe black fruit, a lot of sweet spices here, cinnamon, clove, whole spice, thick oak frame, alcohol heat, rum-like again, big tannins, full body, med to long finish With time and air in the glass, it opens up to a fresher version, you also get some incense notes, lighter floral notes but a walnut liqueur-like warmth kicks in at the end
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Luxurious aromas of black plum, boysenberry and dark chocolate leap from the glass, followed by hints of sweet molasses and vanilla bean. On the palate, firm tannins and undercurrents of energetic acidity add brightness and poise to lush dark berry flavors, while promising a long life ahead.
Such a huge gap between entry level Merlot and Three palms, but it costs only twice as much. A blend of 92% Merlot, 6% CS, 1% Malbec and 1% CF, aged for 18 months in FR oak, 75% new. Intense complex aroma of spiced plums, cassis, black cherries, chocolate, undergrowth, licorice, cedar. Full body, powerful yet restrained and elegant with medium+ rich and fine tannins, medium acidity, intense interchanging layered flavours of ripe black fruits, mocha, cassis, licorice, vanilla, spices, earth, long juicy finish.
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deep inky purple color, rich buttery nose of young plums and cherries, oak spice, on the palate deep and rich sweet Merlot fruit in grand waves, plum, cherries, chocolate, undertones of edgy minerals help to balance the very ripe and extracted fruir, oak in its proper place, this has definitely gone more modern compared to days of yore- but the balance is there and this is really wonderful to drink right now, the question is whether it keeps all that puppy fat in old age or softens and matures, time will tell but the long term track record suggests this wine will age quite well.
****+, now to 2029+
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dark and inky and with appreciable body in the glass. quite a lot going on in the nose with rich black fruit, whiffs of vanilla and spice, and more than a passing touch of graphite and cocoa bean. at the moment, a solid but polished tannic core takes centre stage in the mouth and from it emanate complex flavours reminiscent of the nose linger thru a lengthy finish. this will definitely improve with age as the tannins become better integrated.
14.5% AbV; 92% Merlot blended in with 6%CS, and 1% each dollops of Malbec and Cab Franc; eighteen months in french in oak (75% new, 25% neutral).
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Tasted at Duckhorn. All Merlots spend 18 months in French Oak except Discussion-24 months For Discussion, they take the best grapes from the 6 estates they own. Age 3-5 years. 2019 Merlots are big but less bold than 2018s Lori, Jen and I liked this Merlot the best of all the Duckhorn Merlots we tasted.
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Super tight, restrained nose. But so much potential! Elegant and balanced, with tart raspberries and cranberries- long ending. Hold 4-5 years at minimum. 92 now.
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Duckhorn smakk á vegum bandaríska sendiráđsins (Sólvallagata 14): Hérna vorum við svo með miklu betra vín heldur en grunn merlot útgáfuna. Meira, betra og flottara vín. Ég var ekkert þannig heillaður í fyrstu tilraun en kom aftur að þessu borði og smakkaði aftur. Kom miklu betur út í seinna skiptið. Verðið er reyndar ansi hátt, 10.000 kr. Ég held að ég myndi alltaf kaupa Ryan Vineyard pinot noir vínið frekar en þetta. Gaman að hafa smakkað samt.
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4/14/2024 - Dagalaifus Likes this wine: 93 Points
Duckhorn's Three Palms Vineyard has been described as producing fruit for consistently one of the best Merlots in California. The 2019 vintage is darkest ruby in the glass (almost inky) with a nose and palate of bright, red cherry and muted oak. It has a lengthy and lip-smacking finish. I made the mistake of popping and pouring the wine the first time that it was tasted. Without air, it was quite a disappointment -- especially, for a $100 bottle. I scored it a 90, and was left scratching my head and wondering if, I was drinking the same wine that my CT brethren had described. A 5-hour decant, however, softened its fierce tannins and allowed its beautiful fruit to emerge.
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12/17/2023 - RedmouthM Likes this wine: 93 Points
Cassis, plum.
Fudge with well integrated oak
Full body with quite high alcohol and some pepper
Still young
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11/13/2023 - kostaslonis wrote:
Duckhorn Tasting, Oenocosmos (Drakoulis meat, Kolonaki): Drought vintage, considered an outstanding vintage, Merlot, 74-75ha, Calistoga, planted in late ‘60s, bought by Duckhorn in 2015, alluvial soil, now an average of 25yo,
75% new French oak, 25% neutral, 18 months
-/-
Fragrant, fresh red cherries, loads of oak derived notes, sweet spice notes, wood varnish notes, alcohol heat, rum-like profile, tense, very ripe fruit
Palate copying the flavor profile of the nose, very ripe black fruit, a lot of sweet spices here, cinnamon, clove, whole spice, thick oak frame, alcohol heat, rum-like again, big tannins, full body, med to long finish
With time and air in the glass, it opens up to a fresher version, you also get some incense notes, lighter floral notes but a walnut liqueur-like warmth kicks in at the end
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11/4/2023 - Rond Likes this wine: 94 Points
Notes of black chery, plum, and cedar. Still young, with lots of fresh fruit.
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6/1/2023 - shamuspk Likes this wine:
Luxurious aromas of black plum, boysenberry and dark chocolate leap from the glass, followed by hints of sweet molasses and vanilla bean. On the palate, firm tannins and undercurrents of energetic acidity add brightness and poise to lush dark berry flavors, while promising a long life ahead.
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5/5/2023 - Ernestas Likes this wine: 92 Points
Such a huge gap between entry level Merlot and Three palms, but it costs only twice as much. A blend of 92% Merlot, 6% CS, 1% Malbec and 1% CF, aged for 18 months in FR oak, 75% new. Intense complex aroma of spiced plums, cassis, black cherries, chocolate, undergrowth, licorice, cedar. Full body, powerful yet restrained and elegant with medium+ rich and fine tannins, medium acidity, intense interchanging layered flavours of ripe black fruits, mocha, cassis, licorice, vanilla, spices, earth, long juicy finish.
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12/3/2022 - Elpaninaro Likes this wine:
deep inky purple color, rich buttery nose of young plums and cherries, oak spice, on the palate deep and rich sweet Merlot fruit in grand waves, plum, cherries, chocolate, undertones of edgy minerals help to balance the very ripe and extracted fruir, oak in its proper place, this has definitely gone more modern compared to days of yore- but the balance is there and this is really wonderful to drink right now, the question is whether it keeps all that puppy fat in old age or softens and matures, time will tell but the long term track record suggests this wine will age quite well.
****+, now to 2029+
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11/26/2022 - BigBoy_Sonoma Likes this wine: 91 Points
Red fruit, black fruit, cedar, pepper, blue fruit jammy notes, vanilla, spice, big tanins, and a bit of smokey oak on the finish. A-
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11/18/2022 - Vino5 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Ruby red, silky
Big fruit on nose, spicy
Low to medium acidy, silky, very good
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11/5/2022 - chatters wrote:
Decanter Fine Wine Encounter (The Landmark, London): Plush, plummy, lots of sweet oak spice, jammy palate a reflection of the nose, fully roided stuff. Ooof
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11/2/2022 - WindFlyer Likes this wine: 92 Points
a visit to Duckhorn and Paraduxx (Napa Valley): iconic Merlot… just coming into its own.
dark and inky and with appreciable body in the glass. quite a lot going on in the nose with rich black fruit, whiffs of vanilla and spice, and more than a passing touch of graphite and cocoa bean. at the moment, a solid but polished tannic core takes centre stage in the mouth and from it emanate complex flavours reminiscent of the nose linger thru a lengthy finish. this will definitely improve with age as the tannins become better integrated.
14.5% AbV; 92% Merlot blended in with 6%CS, and 1% each dollops of Malbec and Cab Franc; eighteen months in french in oak (75% new, 25% neutral).
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10/7/2022 - Gary1961 wrote:
Wine Spectator 94 pts.
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10/7/2022 - Gary1961 wrote:
Tasted at Duckhorn. All Merlots spend 18 months in French Oak except Discussion-24 months
For Discussion, they take the best grapes from the 6 estates they own.
Age 3-5 years.
2019 Merlots are big but less bold than 2018s
Lori, Jen and I liked this Merlot the best of all the Duckhorn Merlots we tasted.
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8/19/2022 - Bobcat 31 Likes this wine: 91 Points
good balance. only needed a short decant and ready to drink
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6/25/2022 - Condrieu82 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Super tight, restrained nose. But so much potential! Elegant and balanced, with tart raspberries and cranberries- long ending. Hold 4-5 years at minimum. 92 now.
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5/10/2022 - bitdrerik wrote: 92 Points
Duckhorn smakk á vegum bandaríska sendiráđsins (Sólvallagata 14): Hérna vorum við svo með miklu betra vín heldur en grunn merlot útgáfuna. Meira, betra og flottara vín. Ég var ekkert þannig heillaður í fyrstu tilraun en kom aftur að þessu borði og smakkaði aftur. Kom miklu betur út í seinna skiptið. Verðið er reyndar ansi hátt, 10.000 kr. Ég held að ég myndi alltaf kaupa Ryan Vineyard pinot noir vínið frekar en þetta. Gaman að hafa smakkað samt.
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