2021 Merlot

Tasting Notes

Leading with scents of anise (aka black licorice), nutmeg, plum compote, black tea, pencil shavings, and cassis, this vintage of Merlot is tightly wound, full of reserved energy, and has a firm grip of tannins. This very masculine Merlot will drink well for more than a decade and is one of the best expressions yet of Seavey’s signature Merlot style.

Ratings

Jeb Dunnuck (Feb. 2024) 93 points
“All Merlot from the estate (and old vines), the 2021 Merlot was the first vintage where they moved away from whole berry fermentation and it saw roughly 18 days on skins, aged 20 months in 30-40% new oak. Ripe black cherries, leafy tobacco, black tea, hints of chocolate, and a kiss of minerality all define the aromatics, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with ripe tannins and outstanding length.”

Antonio Galloni, Vinous (Dec. 2023) 93 points
“The 2021 Merlot is a powerful, brooding wine. A blast of dark cherry, grilled herbs, leather, licorice, incense and pipe tobacco hits the palate. As always, the Seavey Merlot is one of the most distinctive wines in Napa Valley. In this vintage it is especially earthy and savory.”

Vineyard Notes

Seavey’s 28th 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. The 2021 growing season followed two years of drought and scant winter rains, so the vines started the season early and with very little natural moisture for growth. The vines woke up early and struggled to grow a full sized canopy resulting in a smaller than usual crop of very small berries, resulting in concentrated flavors. We adapted our farming during the 2021 growing season to respect the grapevines’ capacity by adjusting the smaller leaf canopy to protect clusters of grapes from overexposure to afternoon heat and to ensure we had robust vines at the end of a challenging season. The Merlot grapes were harvested in 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 2021 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 2023.

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