Duckhorn 2017 Napa Valley Merlot, Rector Creek Vineyard

Duckhorn excels at merlot, that’s no surprise. They have been one of the very few wineries who understood its potential and stuck with this often maligned grape for decades. Good thing, too. The Rector Creek iteration starts with an impressive viscosity, as if it’s been in the cellar already for a decade, making it smooth and seamless. In the glass it’s all intense blackberry, blueberry black cherry, plum and boysenberry notes with back notes of subtle tobacco, mocha, vanilla and graham cracker crust. This all-estate fruit is comprised of 98% merlot, and 2% cabernet sauvignon, and aged 18 months in all French oak, 75% of which was new. This is a stellar tribute to merlot and a defining reason why merlot should never have been so uncared for by the wine industry as a whole.

564 cases.
ORIGIN: Yountville, Napa Valley
ALCOHOL: 14.5%
PRICE: $100/750 ml
SCORE: 93 POINTS

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50 California Central Coast Wines You Should Be Drinking Right Now

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Duckhorn 2017 Napa Valley Merlot, Rector Creek Vineyard

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