2005 Grand Reserve Merlot
On the nose the wine is bursting with hints of chocolate mint and Kingsford briquettes. Good dark flavors of blackberries and cassis are structured in a food friendly fashion. The finish is full of fruit and tobacco.
Goes Well With:
Accoaldes and Awards:
- Award: Gold
Award: Sweepstakes
Competition / Event: 2009 San Diego International Wine Competition
- Rating: 90
Review: This is my first taste of a wine from this producer, and we are off to a very good start. Medium-bodied, it shows lovely fruit recalling plums and dark cherries. Accent notes of toast and spices are restrained and very well tuned to the weight and intensity of the fruit, making for a harmonious tasting experience and a versatile finished product that will work well with red meat dishes but also be great for grilled white meats like pork or veal. Awarded a gold medal in the San Diego International Wine Competition. 90 Michael Franz
Competition / Event: 2009 Wine Review Online
- Award: Silver
Competition / Event: 2009 Pacific Rim International Wine Competition
- Award: Bronze
Competition / Event: 2009 West Coast Wine Competition
- Award: Silver
Competition / Event: 2009 Los Angeles County Fair
- Award: Silver
Competition / Event: 2009 los
- Award: Silver
Competition / Event: 2009 Pacific Rim
Technical Notes:
| APPELLATION: | Columbia Valley |
| VARIETAL / ASSEMBLAGE: |
75% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon |
| VINEYARD: | 89% Roza Hills, 11% Rizutti |
| WINEMAKER: | William Ammons |
| ALCOHOL: | 13.9 |
| TOTAL ACIDITY: | 0.55 |
| PH: | 3.96 |
| RS: | 0.33 |
Harvest Specs: The Merlot grapes for this wine were picked in September of 2005 from Roza Hills Vineyard, blocks 13 & 3, and from the Rizutti Vineyard. The Cabernet Franc grapes were picked on October 20, 2005 from Roza Hills Vineyard, block 16A. The Cabernet Sauvignon was picked in October 2005 from Roza Hills Vineyard, blocks 6A, 12, 2 & 16B.
Vinification / Fermentation: The grapes for this wine were tank fermented using Pasteur Red, Premier Cuvee, Cepage Merlot and Cepage Cabernet Yeasts. Once primary fermentation started, the wines were pumped over twice a day until the desired extracion was acheived. The different lots were pressed off the skins upon completion of fermentation. The wines were then inoculated with ML and completed with ML fermentation in two to three weeks.
Elevage / Aging: The wines were barrel aged for 28 months in neutral barrels, some with new French oak staves. The wines were then racked, blended and returned to the barrel for an additional 3 months. The wine was then sterile filtered and bottled (no fining was performed on this wine).
