2018 Meritage 1.5L Magnum
Tasting Notes and Food Pairing
The 2018 vintage is softer and more delicate than those from hotter, dryer years, and the 2018 Meritage is a real treat. To the eye, we see a striking dark-toned ruby fill the goblet. On the nose beginning with tantalizing aromas of vanilla, rich brambleberries, cedar and oak, we move on to a palate rich with tobacco, cocoa and an almost savory aspect of heavily whipped, unsweetened cream, fruited with baked black caps! This is a truly beautiful Meritage featuring taut tannins that should give this wine a healthy bottle life.
Pair with:
Steak, simply seasoned, grilled or cast-iron seared; Hard, Aged
Cheeses — Parmesan, Pecorino, Sharp/Aged Cheddar; Roasted
Chicken, Pork, Beef; Beef Wellington; Mushroom Risotto;
Cheesy Pastas; Pork BBQ
Vintage Notes
Simply put, 2018 was a challenge. The year started out just fine.
Winter was relatively mild by Finger Lakes standards. Though we
didn’t get much of a spring, what little we experienced was
relatively average. By July, however, it was beginning to look like
we might have a repeat of 2016-- we hadn’t seen any rain since
mid-spring. We needn’t have worried—by the end of July it
started raining and never stopped. It felt like we didn’t see the sun
again for the rest of the year! So yes, the year was challenging.
Faced with such intense humidity and not a lot of intense sunlight
during harvest we were again reminded why our philosophy of
hand harvesting all of our fruit is so important. This year hand
harvesting allowed us to cull and drop any questionable fruit right
there on the ground leaving us confident that we were starting with
only the healthiest and most robust grapes we grew and that we
were creating the best wines possible – just a little less of it.
