Production Notes
Varietal Content: 88% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1.5% Cabernet Franc, .5% Petit Verdot; Cooperage: 100% French Oak Château-Style Barrels (60 Gallons)
Winemaker Notes
For more than three decades, Duckhorn Vineyards has been crafting exceptional Napa Valley Merlot. On the palate, the tannins are soft and approachable, adding length to the briar fruit and cranberry notes, and carrying the wine through to a lovely finish highlighting elements of ginger, vanilla, licorice and earth.
Production
From our first Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc blocks to our final red-varietal Estate picks, our 2009 harvest spanned more than two months. Though the 2009 growing season presented certain challenges—from early shatter to late-season rain—a thoughtful response in the vineyards yielded smaller-than-normal crops of high-quality fruit. This response included aggressive leafing, an early thinning protocol and a heavy field sort to select only the most desirable grapes.