2001 Sonoma County Merlot

Tasting Notes

A delicious nose, packed with cherries, toast, chocolate, cedar and spice. Light tannins soften and gently give way to the finish, which lingers on with notes of cinnamon and fresh berry. This wine has an overall remarkable depth and complexity that guarantees greatness in its old age.

Acclaim

94 Points - "The '01 Matanzas merlot is intense, to say the least. We love the sophisticated, toasted, smoky oak vanilla aromas streaked with pepper, chocolate and black plum jam. It is packed full of toasted oak, coffee, chocolate, plum jam and orange peel flavours. Smooth and polished, perhaps the best merlot yet from Matanzas Creek, drinkable but you could easily cellar for five or more years." - Wine Access, September 2004

Very Good - "It looks and even tastes dark, with hints of tobacco and coffee and a kind of leathery toughness. Classy wine." - Wall Street Journal, March 2005

Source

The cavalcade of world-class Merlots from Matanzas Creek, continues with the 2001 Sonoma County Merlot. A long growing season and slowly maturing grapes resulted in another majestic wine with deep, intense flavors — the trademark of our Merlots. Sixty-four percent new French oak was used during the wine's sixteen months spent in barrels. It was then lightly filtered before bottling. Finished wine is a blend of ninety-three percent Merlot, four percent Cabernet Sauvignon, two percent Syrah, one percent Cabernet Franc.

Production Statistics

Finished Wine:
14.3% Alcohol
5.9 g/l TA
3.48 pH
Aged 16 months in 100% French oak barrels, 64% new, 36% seasoned

Final Blend:
93% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon,
2% Syrah, 1% Cabernet Franc

Acclaim