Once & Future 2020 Merlot, Sangiacomo Vineyard, Carneros

Item Number: 18058

UPC: None

Country: USA
Region: California
Sub Region: Napa Valley
Appellation/AVA: Los Carneros
Estate Grown Wine: No
Vineyard Designation: Sangiacomo Vineyard
Vintage: 2020
Grape(s): Merlot
Type: Wine - Red
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Pack: 12
Closure: Cork
Alc by Vol(%): 12.4
Total Acidity: 5.9 g/L
pH: 3.48
Viticulture: Practicing Organic
Soil Type: Shallow gravel clay-loam
Case Production: 227

Grower Notes: "Without the Sangiacomo family, it is unlikely I would have achieved the success that I have. In 1981, they gave the fledgling Ravenswood shelter in an old steel building they owned at the end of Broadway in Sonoma. They were benevolent landlords, to say the least. Ange, Bob, Buck, and Lorraine. What a special crew. They developed what was once a pear orchard into a thriving, highly regarded Carneros vineyard. Ange’s kids are now in charge. Mike, Steve, Mia, and her husband are the next generation of special community-minded people to build and keep the vineyard business healthy." - Joel Peterson

Tasting Notes: The 2020 Sangiacomo is a flavorful expression of Carneros cool-climate Merlot. Notes of cedar, sweet mulberries, dark cherries and hints of mint in the aromatics and flavor lead to a surprisingly full mouthfeel and soft round finish considering the relatively low alcohol of this wine. If all merlots were more like this, they would be very popular indeed.

About Sangiacomo Vineyard: This block, formerly 13-year-old Riesling vines, was budded to Merlot in 1987 and interplanted to reduce spacing in 1991. The soil is shallow gravel clay-loam, which is ideal for Merlot. Originally, the trellis was a bilateral cordon vertical shoot position set-up. Due to the timing of the Carneros winds, which are frequently coincident with flowering and fruit set, a great deal of shatter resulted in very low crop levels. In some years, this imparted a fairly strong jalapeño character to the grapes. To combat this, the Sangiacomos have added an additional fruiting cane to the system, which increases the crop, bringing it into balance with the canopy and providing more harmonious ripe flavors. The combination of soil, trellising, crop, and canopy management, along with the cool Carneros climate, produces some of the most delicious Merlot in California.