98 Points,
Double Gold Best of Class - 2021 Sunset International Wine Competition
Long and elegant with exceptional mouthfeel.
Will easily cellar for another 5-7 years.
WINEMAKER NOTES
Frank Family grows several acres of Merlot on their Rutherford properties, which they often blend with their Cabernet Sauvignons to add softness and a more rounded mouthfeel. But this Merlot is worthy to stand on its own. With so much elegant and structured potential that it can stand toe-to-toe with many Napa Valley Cabernets.
VINEYARDS
Sourced from their family-owned Benjamin Vineyard in Rutherford as well as several of their closest neighbors and long-term grape growers, Delouise, Round Pond Estate, and Sunseri Vineyards located in Oak Knoll, Rutherford, and Chiles Valley respectively.
Winemaker: Todd Graff
Vintage: 2018
Appellation: 100% Napa Valley
Varietal Composition: 85% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc
Harvest Date: September 21 - October 19, 2018
Aging: 18 months in 33% new and 67% once and twice-filled French oak barrels
Bottled: May 2020
pH: 3.55
TA: 0.60 g/100ml
Alcohol: 14.5%
Gold Medal
Generously packed with exotic cassis, black cherry, cola and plum flavors knitted together in a creamy, velvety texture with nice layering, finishing with delightful notes of spice. Persistent, well-defined structure, wonderfully balanced.
94 Points
Deep garnet-purple in color and strides confidently out of the glass with notes of crushed blueberries, ripe blackberry, and warm cassis with hints of cherry, black olive, currant and a touch of black pepper.
Gold Medal
Aromas of watermelon, cranberry, orange rind, and fresh spring flowers that leap from the glass. The palate offers peach, strawberry, and melon, with an intriguing note of fresh herb and pomegranate. Though packed with fruit, this Rosé finishes dry, with a nice balanced finish.
Gold Medal
Aromas of white peach, melon, and orange blossom complemented by bright citrus and lemon zest. Notes of kiwi, pineapple, lemon, mango and papaya introduce a rich palate and a persistent mineral finish.
94 Points
Blueberry, currant and sweet spice on the nose, with satiny layers of marionberry, and fresh macerated blackberries, surrounding a core of leather, tobacco leaf, sandalwood, and tobacco. Medium to full bodied, it's polished and creamy with nice weight on the mid palate.
92 Points
Aromas of blackberry, dried fig, black cherry, blackberry coulis, toasted vanilla, and a hint of cigar box. The palate offers rich and velvety tannins, dark chocolate-covered cherries, black plum, mixed berry pie and toasted walnut. Long and expressive with loads of flavor.
94 Points, Wine Enthusiast
This opulent wine opens with aromas of blackberry, black plum, violets and spice on the nose. Flavors on the palate of dark cherry, sarsaparilla and orange zest wrap around dried tobacco leaf, malt chocolate and toasted vanilla, with a long, supple finish.
92 Points
Rich, full-bodied with flavors of black currant, red plums, and cassis, followed by oak notes of cedar and vanilla and enticing oak spice. Dark flavors produce a lush and velvety textured of ripe black plums, dark cherries, cocoa and mint flavors fill the mouth that combine with supple tannins and leads to a long silky finish.
95 Points
Dark crimson hue, and gracious from the moment it hits the glass, with sultry aromas of vibrant blackberry, dark cherry, fresh fig, bright blueberry and notes of oak that envelope your senses. Medium-bodied and remarkably velvety, its tannins gracefully interweave, establishing a flawless equilibrium of acidity and pleasing fruit, revealing hints of vanilla and spice creating a balanced and intriguing profile.
Deep ruby in color this wine is bountiful, juicy and structured. Blueberry, black cherry and wild blackberry, framed by notes of sweet licorice, violets, sage and bay leaf. Impeccably balanced with fine dusty tannins hint at a long life ahead in the cellar.
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