2014 Merlot - Judge's Reserve - end of vintage
Merlot from Don Miguel, hand harvested October 7th, 2014. The harvest Brix level was pushing the upper limit but the acid was high. This indicates the wine grapes ripened slowly, but may have dimpled a little under the warm sun. The unrelenting heat and drought lends a hand in the story of this wine. The wine is very saturated and intense. Merlot is usually soft, somewhat medium bodied and lighter in color than, say, Cabernet Sauvignon. This Merlot is inky and opaque, will be aged in new oak for almost two years which is adding smoke and vanilla to a boysenberry syrup fruitiness in the aroma. The wine isn’t a classic Merlot but it is a hedonistic pleasure.
Click here for Gabe Saglie's Santa Barbara News-Press article on the release of Judge's Reserve Merlot.
Wine Club Price
100% Merlot
Punchdown
French Oak
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