2013 Plumpjack Merlot Napa Valley

Community Tasting Notes (22) Avg Score: 92.4 points

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  10/9/2022 - MarkRichards Likes this wine: 90 Points

  The vibrancy of fruit has somewhat faded. The maturity of this wine has arrived. More like a mature medium body Bordeaux . Highly recommend, but don't let it languish too many more years.

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  4/4/2020 - flwinos wrote: 91 Points

  Good, but paled by comparison to a Robert Craig Howell Mountain Merlot and Cabernet. Popped and poured. Fruit has settled down quite a bit from my previous bottles.

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  8/4/2019 - swade wrote: 92 Points

  Super. Balanced. Ripe, but well-judged. Plums, dark chocolate truffles and oak spice. Cab lovers merlot. This wine had some authority. 92

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  8/26/2018 - ozziewine Likes this wine: 90 Points

  The note from MSUWRIGHT is on the money (and the reason I chose to open this now).
  This is smooth, mellow, imminently drinkable but ultimately unexciting.
  Great to serve in a social setting where there's not much attention paid to the drink in hand.
  Because it is Plumpjack, I was expecting more so, just like great potential, it can be difficult to live up to the expectation.
  But hey, the nose IS terrific.
  Tried on PnP with one pass through the Vinturi and with several hours of air and not much difference.

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  4/13/2018 - msuwine wrote: 92 Points

  This ripe Merlot has lost steam in the 15 months since I tasted it last (1/17 - 94 points), with a taste profile that has become more savory and juicy. It's still a solid Merlot, especially around the $50-60 price point, but it's one that should be consumed in the short term.
  
  Cherry red in color and full in body, this wine now carries aromas more of plum and leather, as opposed to the blueberry and graphite from earlier in its life cycle. The tannins are much softer now, but so too are the flavors: plum and ripe blueberry lead the way, with secondary notes of graphite, green olives, and cedar, followed by a finish that lacks much, if any acidity. Blend of 87% Merlot and 13% Malbec. 15.2% alcohol.
  
  Back in 2017, I thought this had 2-3 years ahead of it, but this now seems incorrect. Perhaps tonight it was the bottle, but this wine just seems tired - the fruit is there, and the structure is just hanging on by a thread to support it. I tasted it on the same night as two 2014 Merlots (from Pahlmeyer and Realm), both of which blew the Plumpjack out of the water in terms of complexity and energy. Drink in next six months or so.

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