2017 Barnett Vineyards Merlot Spring Mountain District

Community Tasting Notes (5) Avg Score: 90.8 points

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  2/21/2023 - bubbachumps wrote: 91 Points

  Nose on the raisin-ated end of the fruit spectrum. Dark berry jam on the nose. Medium-bodied on the palate with extracted fruits pushing through. Nearly unanimous last place finished 6 of 6 (got one vote for 5 of 6)

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  7/27/2021 - Good2drink Likes this wine:

  Vickey and I both enjoyed it with grilled steak, grilled romaine and Caprese salad with home-grown tomatoes!

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  6/29/2020 - Cailles wrote: 93 Points

  Mostly Napa Valley 2017s (with 15/16/18 in the mix): Larger merchant tasting. Brief impressions. A wonderful, light Merlot with sweet red and dark fruits, strawberries at the core, minerality and a beautiful freshness and even a bit of astringency which keeps it light and fresh despite the sweetness. It has not the concentration, complexity, precision or length of the very best wines but is nevertheless great to drink today. Positive surprise.

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  5/13/2020 - sirpat00 wrote: 90 Points

  Putzi's Napa 2017 new arrival tasting: A new Napa arrival tasting hosted by a wine merchant. A total of 30 wines mostly from 2017 (with a few 2018 whites and new releases from 2016 and 2015 in the mix) were presented in various price brackets ($40 to $200+). For 2017 my takeaways were 1) 2017 is already approachable and offers immediate drinking pleasure. But 2) the wines also came across lighter and less layered. 2017 doesn’t seem to have the refinement of 2016, the depth of 2014 or the muscular concentration of 2015. For many, it seems, finding a spot in the sun will be hard with 5 outstanding vintages before and likely 2 more (at least) right behind. There were notable exceptions of course. Wine of the night was Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill 2017 (95) and just whisker behind Viader 2017 (95). A very notable mention deserves the Detert East Block Cabernet Franc 2017 for its unique character (94).
  
  Tasting note:
  The weakest of the this Merlot flight. Full of sweet spices in the nose showing liquorice, vanilla, toasted brioche with a greenish and minty touch. Herbal with camomile tea leaves. On the palate light and slightly acidic on balance.

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  1/19/2020 - rwb redlands wrote: 90 Points

  The 2017 Spring Mountain Merlot is a serious complex wine. In previous years, the red bright fruit took the lead, where this year it falls more into the cassis black fruit with layers of spice. Gravel minerality and earth surround the dark fruit. The wine is stereotypically rich and lush as is expected from low yielding mountain Merlot. Blackcurrants and cooking chocolate dominate the palate. The tannins are much firmer than in previous years with well balanced mountain acidity. This big Merlot will age wonderfully over the next 14-15 years (2033-2034).

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