Tasting notes
The 2020 Merlot is a captivating wine with its distinctive flavors of acai berry, dark blue and purple fruit, and dark plum. The addition of vanilla bean adds a layer of complexity, while the velvety and fine tannins contribute to its elegant texture. Its approachability at such a young age showcases the wine's potential for immediate enjoyment or hold to enjoy within the next 5-10 years.
Technical information
Vintage
2020
Varietal
Merlot
Appellation
Napa Valley
Alcohol
14.9%
Winemaking
After gentle crushing and destemming, the juice and skins were sent to concrete and stainless microfermenters where complex flavors and tannins were slowly released from the skins as vinification progressed. The wine was aged for 18 months in 100% French barrels, 60% of which were new. The extended time in the barrel allows the big, bold tannins in the Howell Mountain Merlot enough time to soften, and the complimentary aromas from the barrels to become well-integrated with the ripe fruit characteristics of the wine.
Vintage
The 2020 season will be remembered for factors beyond the typical harvest season. It was a warm, dry winter, and the rain and cooler weather didn’t arrive until the end of March. While the mild spring season was a great early start, summer brought very cool mornings and very warm days. Harvest was interrupted by wildfires across California, which came as grapes started to be picked. We were very fortunate that none of our vineyards were in the areas of the active fires.
Vineyard
Howell Mountain rises just to the southeast of Sterling. Bancroft Ranch specifically lies at an elevation of 1,800 feet on the western slope of the mountain. The soil here --gritty white tuff of volcanic origin --is shallow, low in nutrients, and extremely well-drained making the vines struggle to succeed. The resulting vines produce small, intensely flavored berries with powerful, concentrated fruit flavors and thick skins that yield robust tannins. For the 2020 vintage, our winemakers selected notable lots from vineyards spanning key Napa Valley growing regions, including Bancroft Ranch on Howell Mountain as well as, Clairmore Vineyard in Napa Valley, and Barlow Vineyard in Calistoga.