2019 Meeker Merlot Winemaker's Handprint

Community Tasting Notes (2) Avg Score: 92 points

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  9/21/2023 - goodvitis.com Likes this wine: 92 Points

  The soft, floral nose features cherry, strawberry, violet, lilac, vanilla, and maple. Dusty, grainy mouth-coating tannin and well-integrated significant acid make it a structurally hefty wine even though it’s just medium bodied. Flavor-wise this is the most savory of the Meeker wines tasted for this article, and at this young age it has a streak of salinity that juxtaposes awkwardly with some slightly bitter black tea tannin flavor. Backwards at the moment, the fruit is hidden on the palate where old leather, black tea, prune, tamari sauce, under ripe black cherry, and black pepper feature. With a few days left in bottle on the counter, the tannins sooth out and the mouthfeel becomes more polished. The bitterness and saltiness get turned down some, and the fruit sweetens just a touch. It nonetheless remains rigid and dense. I saw more evolution in this wine than any other in the lineup, and believe it will likely need the most time of any wine reviewed to reach potential. I’d recommend at least twenty years.

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  10/22/2022 - Chrispe wrote:

  Winemaker Notes:
  Since its inception in the early 90s, Handprint has grown into our flagship wine, and as a result, it demands the most attention and car of any wine in our cellar. It is an important standard-bearer for our traditional winemaking style: it remains a wine that is focused on its age-worthiness, elegance, and structure more than anything else. We work incredible hard to constantly refine our execution to balance it cellar potential with enough friendliness and development to enjoy at release.
  
  Metaphorically, they say you can't have your cake and eat it too. But maybe that's just a cake thing -- we've made a compelling argument for a few decades that Merlot can do both. this positions -- along with our adamant view that Merlot is a pinnacle grape variety equal to Cab, Pinot Noir and Syrah -- is one we are particularly student about. Proving our points on Merlot is a noble cause and a challenge that eternally demands our best.
  
  This vintage of Handprint is 90% Merlot with 5% Cab Franc and 2.5% each of Cab and Malbec. the wine is 97.5% Dry Creek Valley appellation, excepting only the Malbec. This is a particularly lush and friendly vintage of handprint. It's anchored by ripe plum and pomegranate fruit with a round and plush mid-palate. The finish opens light-footed and clean with prominent minerality. Tannins are developing early and feel a few years ahead of vintage. I'm proud to this Handprint. It's stunning now, but will graciously reward a decade or two of peace and quiet.

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