Pride Mountain Merlot 2011 750ml

Ripe cherries, boysenberries and cranberries articulate this fruit-driven, voluptuous wine, though there is plenty of complexity to be found in its subtle nuances of sandalwood, cardamom and cocoa. The wine is beautifully round and luscious with a pure mouth-coating texture and powerful finish. The goal of our Vintner Select Merlot is to present a quintessential example of how great merlot can be as a 100% varietal. Though it is brighter and more fruit forward than its cabernet counterpart, this wine has plenty of stuffing and not shy in its tannins. Planted in one of our best sites, a sunny south-facing hillside, each year these Clone 3 merlot vines grow to the top of our canopy trellis and then stop, with no need for tipping of the shoots, a sign that the vines are perfectly balanced to the soil. This is one of our favorite wines to use in blending, also forming the core of our Reserve Claret, but in our Vintner Select, it is a treat to feature it in its pure glory.