Merlot
Alder Springs Vineyard
MendocinoLocated over three hours north of San Francisco, Alder Springs relies on elevations as high as 2700 feet for a cooling effect. There's so much to say about this vineyard, but even more to say about the owner Stu Bewley – smart, nice and passionate about what he does. The vines are planted on steep hillsides of decomposing sandstone with a combination of Scott Henry and Smart Dyson trellising systems with vine density as much as 3300 vines per acre. The Merlot is fantastic and competes favorably with our Merlots from Napa. It's hard to contain our excitement about this vineyard because it represents a combination of people, site, viticulture practices and a track record with wineries we're honored to be sharing fruit with.
Coombsville Vineyard
Napa Valley, CoombsvilleEast of the town of Napa, Coombsville Vineyard is cooled by the fog and breezes blowing off San Pablo Bay. The 65-acre site is planted to Bordeaux varietals on gently sloping terrain. The cooler climate allows for a nice long growing season and produces a fleshy, more opulent interpretation of the grape. The Merlot clusters hereare smaller due to slightly distressed soils and lower precipitation totals in this section of Napa, resulting in ink-black wines.
Lake Cynthia Vineyard
Napa ValleyLake Cynthia Vineyard is located off the Silverado Trail in the southern part of Napa. This section of the valley is relatively cool, with temperatures up to 10 degrees lower than St. Helena. However, being on the east side of the valley, Lake Cynthia receives more hours of sunlight than the Napa floor. The moderate temperatures and long sun exposure result in an excellent balance of fruit, acidity and tannins. Wines from the vineyard show tremendous depth with plum and red fruits. While this site makes a fantastic stand-alone Merlot, blending in 5% of tannic hillside Cabernet makes it sing.
