Trefethen Family Vineyards Merlot 2015
(Oak Knoll, Napa Valley, California) - [WE 93]

About the Winery:
Built in 1886, John and Janet Trefethen began restoring what is today the Trefethen winery in 1973. A national historic landmark and the only wooden gravity-flow winery in the Napa Valley, Trefethen is also one of Napa's largest estate wineries, with its 600 acres of vineyards surrounding the winery. Trefethen is the largest land holder in Napa's smallest AVA - Oak Knoll. 100% of their wines are created from estate fruit that is sustainably farmed.

About this Wine:
Merlot flourishes in relatively cool growing regions with moist soils, making it an ideal match for certain parts of Trefethen's estate vineyard, located in the Oak Knoll District of the Napa Valley, a sweet spot between warmer up-valley regions and the cool southern tip. With a warm spring, the vines got off to an early start. The weather turned cool during bloom which impacted fruit set and resulted in fewer grapes per cluster. The size of the crop was further reduced as the dry soils, from a lack of late rains, led to smaller grapes. The weather was warm throughout the summer leading right into one of their earliest harvests ever. The resulting wines are fantastic as the smaller grapes and fine weather contributed to ideal ripeness with very concentrated flavors.

This Merlot sets the standard for elegance with a perfume of red fruits and earthy notes and flavors of raspberry, plum and black pepper. On the palate, the wine is silky yet bright, a classic Trefethen.

Pairings: Delicious with duck, barbecued chicken, lamb dishes, tomato-based pastas and mushroom pizza. A dash of freshly ground black pepper over a dish creates a lovely combination with this Merlot.

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