2019 Merlot

Tasting Notes

With aromatics of sweet-smelling raspberry and rhubarb, blended with grated nutmeg, this wine is impressively smooth. On the palate plum pie is met with a hearty undertone of anise seed and dried sage, maturing alongside notes of toasted cedar. Bright, with exceptional balance and control—a tribute to our dedication and patience in the vineyard.

Ratings

Antonio Galloni, Vinous (Oct. 2021) 94 points
“The 2019 Merlot is fabulous. It offers a beguiling combination of rich Merlot fruit and the savory/mineral inflections that are typical of the Seavey wines. I especially admire the aromatic complexity here. This potent, structured Merlot is a huge overachiever. And it is absolutely delicious, too.”

Vineyard Notes

Seavey’s 26th vintage of single-vineyard estate Merlot comes entirely from grapes grown on the steep hillside blocks of our estate, which we have been farming for over forty years. 2019 started with a wet winter carrying through to late spring, allowing for a lavish canopy. Summer was met with canopy management to allow the sunshine from our high degree days to reach the berries, advancing ripening. The growing conditions continued with steady sun during the day and cooler marine influences at night. The result speaks through the freshness of this vintage. Our Merlot grapes were harvested in mid-September.

Production Notes

Following classic Bordeaux methods, we separately harvest and vinify each vineyard block. In the cool of the early morning, grapes from our 2019 harvest were promptly de-stemmed, and the uncrushed berries were gently transferred into fermentation tanks to carefully manage the tannins and resulting wine texture. Following whole-berry fermentation, the wine was aged in French oak barrels (40% new) for 20 months before bottling in June 2021.

100% ESTATE GROWN, PRODUCED & BOTTLED, NAPA VALLEY AVA