Wine Article
2007 Pine Ridge Vineyards Merlot Napa Valley
Last edited on 10/5/2012 by Eric
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From Winery Website:
Though the appellation on the label has changed to Napa Valley, you'll find this wine to be the same Carneros Merlot you've enjoyed for years.
HARVEST AND WINEMAKING: The 2007 vintage had many ups and downs, with an early, cool start and several heat waves throughout the growing season resulting in smaller bunches of small, intensely flavored berries harvested in early October. The grapes were sorted with an intensive triple selection process before crushing and macerated on the skins an average of 23 days. The wine was aged in 25% new French oak for 13 months before being bottled in August 2009.
TASTING NOTES: The 2007 Merlot offers a world of complexity, waiting beneath the youthful tannins and bright acidity that make this one of our more robust bottlings. The nose abounds with primary notes of dark plum, dried cherry and cola with hints of warm spice and vanilla. The structured palate opens with layers of fresh Bing cherry, blackberry preserves and anise flavors surrounded by velvety tannins and evolving into darker notes of espresso and toffee in the tapering finish.
FOOD PAIRING: With the rounded weight this wine currently boasts, perfect pairings will need an equal amount of richness and flavor, like chicken breasts or portobello mushrooms stuffed with cheese, ribeye or flank steaks and braises. As time softens the tannins and opens the fruit, try it with more subtle dishes like papardelle with sausage ragú and hard cheeses.
This wine is only available through Pine Ridge Vineyards.
Suggested retail price: $45
Though the appellation on the label has changed to Napa Valley, you'll find this wine to be the same Carneros Merlot you've enjoyed for years.
HARVEST AND WINEMAKING: The 2007 vintage had many ups and downs, with an early, cool start and several heat waves throughout the growing season resulting in smaller bunches of small, intensely flavored berries harvested in early October. The grapes were sorted with an intensive triple selection process before crushing and macerated on the skins an average of 23 days. The wine was aged in 25% new French oak for 13 months before being bottled in August 2009.
TASTING NOTES: The 2007 Merlot offers a world of complexity, waiting beneath the youthful tannins and bright acidity that make this one of our more robust bottlings. The nose abounds with primary notes of dark plum, dried cherry and cola with hints of warm spice and vanilla. The structured palate opens with layers of fresh Bing cherry, blackberry preserves and anise flavors surrounded by velvety tannins and evolving into darker notes of espresso and toffee in the tapering finish.
FOOD PAIRING: With the rounded weight this wine currently boasts, perfect pairings will need an equal amount of richness and flavor, like chicken breasts or portobello mushrooms stuffed with cheese, ribeye or flank steaks and braises. As time softens the tannins and opens the fruit, try it with more subtle dishes like papardelle with sausage ragú and hard cheeses.
This wine is only available through Pine Ridge Vineyards.
Suggested retail price: $45