2014 Merlot
Tasting Notes & Food Pairing
Our 2014 Merlot opens with a pronounced nose of cedar from 8 months of oak aging. Keeping form with the previous vintage, the wine possesses notes of licorice, anise, Mediterranean herbs, and plums. A hallmark of real quality, the dusty tannins linger on the palate like cocoa rolled chocolate truffles and freshly harvested tobacco. Pair this wine with decadent chocolates, medallions of Filet Mignon served with bleu cheese fondue, or pasta pomodoro. For the seafood lover in you, try this wine with braised Cod with Greek seasoning spices, chopped tomatoes and Kalamata olives.
Best enjoyed at 55° - 60°f
Suggested drink window: now - 2028
Winemaking
• 100% Merlot
• 40% Damiani Vineyard, 40% Estate Caywood Vineyard, 20% Davis Vineyard
• Soils: Honeoye and Howard gravelly silt loam
• Hand-harvested from October 11th - 15th
• Unfined & rough filtered
• Vegan
• Brix:22.5°-24.0° • pH:3.78 • TA: 7.35 g/L • RS: 0.3% • ABV: 13.5% • Bottled: 8/18/2015
• Cases produced: 113
2014 Vintage Notes
Ever so gently the spring of 2014 tip-toed in with a very enthusiastic welcome, from both grape-growers and from the vines themselves. The long and harsh winter - both in terms of temperatures and snowfall - reduced the potential crop yields early in the season. With fewer initial clusters, vines were able to deliver a more focused flow of energy and nutrients to the remaining ripening fruit. The Finger Lakes saw spring and summer days with temperatures regularly vacillating from cool to hot with intermittent showers, creating constant shifts and activity in the vineyards as our grapes inched towards maturity. Each hand-harvested vineyard brought fruit to our winemakers that demonstrated playful acidity, promising flavors, and tremendous quality.
