Peterson Family Vineyard Merlot

Presented double-blind at Tasting Group. The wine is a deep ruby color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with some significant staining of the tears. No signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with powerful notes of plums, dark brambles, cocoa, cedar box, and baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The alcohol is medium++. This is big and fancy and tastes, expensive. Initial conclusions: this could be Merlot, Malbec, or Syrah from the USA, Argentina or France. However, the wine wasn’t purple enough for Malbec and I didn’t get any rotundune for me to chose Syrah. The tannins were silky smooth and the fruit was generous, plush and slightly tart which gave me a clue about the vintage. Since I felt like this wine leaned toward its fruit, my final conclusion is that this is Merlot, from the USA, from California, from Napa Valley, 2018 vintage. Boom! I think this is drinking really well right now and it hides its alcohol (15.6%!) remarkably well. Drink now and through 2028.

A delicious chocolate cherry merlot! Big, bold and chewy. This is how merlot should should taste. Deserves a hearty meal in tandem.

Typical Napa merlot made up of 90/10 merlot and cab - Power and finesse creating a nice balance - taste of dark cherries, blackberry compote and exotic spice. Juicy, ripe and lush on the palate, framed by supple tannins with a long elegant finish with chocolate and vanilla bean noticeable - Foley is winemaker - No one will be disappointed as this is dense purple color with a merlot luscious, full, pedal-to-the-medal but only has imo five years left and this is definitely in the drinking zone now

I lost the cork removal battle here. After some filtration acrobatics it was intact and good to go. I’m an unabashed fan of Spring Mountain merlot (Keenan, Pride, Paloma, Barnett) and this is usually right up there for me....but this vintage is waning and doesn’t having that characteristic extra punch I expect that elevates it above valley floor merlot. Could be just this bottle but I’d drink up the ‘05s if you have them.

The best merlot coming out of Napa? Hard to say, but definitely in the top three for me (Paloma, Hourglass and this). So much fruit wrapped in a silky package (@Bill Bender don’t go there). Hedonistic, but still so balanced. And an ‘11 to boot. This followed two exceptional wines and held its own.

Best merlot that has ever crossed my lips.

I may be biased because we sell it, but this is the greatest Merlot that Napa Valley has ever produced. It's that good. Don't believe me? Fine. Robert Parker gave it 95 pts and said it's "about as good as this varietal can be in the Napa Valley." Believe me now?!?

Woof. Huge, thick milk chocolate with a few raspberries floating in it. Solid tannins. This will kill it in a few years. Answers my question about ordering some -15's!

Mike had this 7 years ago

Dark cassis, caramelized, brown sugar, dark fading floral bouquet nose. Dark ripe ruby cassis, big dark minerals, soft spice, light baking spices, just a very slight touch of herbs, brown sugar/molasses, violets and its a juicy round smooth evolved tannin dark fruit finish with big acidity. 91 with the potential for a higher score with 5-7 more years of age.