Description
4 Marvelous Napa Merlots: Paloma 2011 Spring Mountain Merlot, PlumpJack 2018 Napa Valley Merlot, Roche 2013 Carneros Merlot + Keenan 2015 Napa Valley Merlot - 4 Bottles
Paloma Vineyard - 2011 Spring Mountain, Napa Valley Merlot, 1 Bottle: A limited production! One of Napa Valley's most famous Merlots, this bottling comes from the Paloma Vineyard and includes between 14-16% Cabernet Sauvignon (depending on the vintage). The wine is aged in one-third new and two-thirds used French oak barrels for 18 months. The results are incredibly ageable, with black fruit, tobacco, spice, and chocolate notes as a common thread vintage after vintage.
PlumpJack 2018 Napa Valley Merlot, 1 Bottle: Our Merlot vineyard is in the Oak Knoll region of the Napa Valley, and is nestled up to the Mayacamas Mountain Range on the west side of the valley. The mild climate and alluvial soils in this region lend this wine great balance and structure. The mild temperatures allow these grapes to develop bright aromatics and flavors, along with a beautiful natural acidity and elegance. The alluvial soils bring darker fruits to the nose and palate, and give this wine its structure and concentration. The 2018 vintage has a beautiful and complex nose -- black cherry, boysenberry jam, plum, and fresh-cut flowers come through first, then cardamom, nutmeg, and a touch of cocoa and vanilla enter giving the nose depth and intrigue. The palate too has great depth and complexity ? flavors of red cherries, muddled berries, and dried herbs, with a creamy texture and silky tannin complemented by a fresh, vibrant acidity.
Roche 2013 Carneros Merlot, 1 Bottle: Sommeliers will love this wine for its elegance, and the way it's happy to stand back and support food, rather than star at the table. It's dry, medium bodied and tannic, with cherry, red currant, cocoa and sweet oak flavors. Ready to be enjoyed. Aromas: cassis, black cherry, floral-violets, spice. Flavors: boysenberry, black raspberry, blueberry, chocolate
Keenan 2015 Napa Valley Merlot, 1 Bottle: Keenan Winery is located in Spring Mountain District, high in the Mayacamas mountain range above the town of Saint Helena. Fifteen acres of Merlot vines have been planted in the rocky soils surrounding the winery, and it is these vines that produce some of the finest Merlot in Napa. The vineyards are situated above the dense layer of fog that creeps up the Napa Valley most evenings. Consequently the vines warm up earlier in the morning and stay warm through the night. The combination of warm temperatures, steep hillside vine rows and gravelly soils promotes more stress on the vines leading to increased intensity in the finished wine.
Keenan Merlot is generally composed of approximately sixty-five percent Keenan Estate Merlot with the remainder of the fruit harvested from the Napa Carneros region. After hand harvesting, the grapes are de-stemmed, then inoculated with Montrachet yeast. Fermentation ranges from eight to twelve days before pressing. Keenan Merlot is typically aged in thirty-three percent new French and American oak barrels for eighteen months. The resulting wine shows intense aromas of black cherry, blackberry, and cassis. Complex nuances of cocoa and coffee bean emerge as the wine opens up. This is a ?big? Merlot that will age for many years to come. 100% Merlot. Vineyard Source: 72% Estate, 28% Napa Carneros
Name of Winery: Paloma; PlumpJack; Roche; Keenan
Bottle Size: 750ml
Number of Bottles: Four
Vintage: 2011; 2018; 2013; 2015
Varietal: Merlot
Appellation: Spring Mountain; Napa Valley; Carneros; Napa Valley
Paloma's property is located five miles northwest of St. Helena at the top of Spring Mountain. In the last half of the 19th century, it was a vineyard, but was allowed to return to forest around the turn of the century. We still find old redwood grape stakes and even a few old Zinfandel vines that survive under the large Douglas fir trees that surround our home. One vine near the house produces one or two clusters of grapes a year that are put into our Merlot blend for good luck. The purchase of this raw land was the beginning of an odyssey that is ongoing, ever-changing, but with one goal -- to grow the best grapes possible and make a wine that reflects the terroir of our vineyard.
Above the town of St. Helena on the eastern slopes of the Mayacamas Mountains sits the Spring Mountain District.
A dynamic region, its vineyards, cut by numerous springs and streams, vary in elevation, slope, and aspect. Soils differ throughout with over 20 distinct types inside of the 8,600 acres that define the appellation. Within that area, only about 1,000 are planted in vineyards. Predominantly farmed by small, independent producers, the region currently has just over 30 wineries.
During the growing season, late afternoon Pacific Ocean breezes reach the Spring Mountain vineyards, which sit at between 400 and 1,200 feet. Daytime temperatures during mid-summer and early fall remain slightly cooler than those of the valley floor.
Spring Mountain soils -- volcanic matter and sedimentary rock?create intense but balanced reds with lush and delicate tannins. The area excels with Bordeaux varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot and in some cooler spots, Chardonnay.
PlumpJack: In 1995, Gavin Newsom and Gordon Getty stumbled upon a magical piece of land in the heart of Oakville, Napa Valley. Inspired by one of Shakespeare?s most memorable characters, Sir John ?PlumpJack? Falstaff, whose fun-loving, down-to-earth disposition is only rivaled by his fierce loyalty to Prince Henry V, with whom he shares more than a few goblets of sack (wine) at the local tavern. We pay allegiance to our world-class vineyard by crafting high-quality wines that honor the land, and we celebrate the convivial spirit of our namesake with their inviting, approachable style. plumpjackwinery.com/
Roche Vineyard & Winery: We offer over 35 years of award-winning winemaking experience, several vineyard designated wines, varietals, and blends, as well as our famous down-to-earth Irish hospitality.
The Roche Family welcomes you to visit either our downtown Sonoma tasting room or our Sonoma winery tasting room where we offer daily barrel tastings, indoor and outdoor wine tasting bars, light bites, and a shaded outdoor tasting patio with fireplaces. Both locations are a fantastic place to enjoy Roche wines, offering a true winery tasting and tour experience at our Sonoma winery or a pre-lunch or dinner tasting at our popular downtown Sonoma Square location.
More about Roche Winery here.
Keenan Winery history started over 40 years ago. Certain that mountain side vineyards in Napa Valley could produce world class wines, in 1974 Robert Keenan purchased 180 acres in the Spring Mountain District at an elevation of 1700 feet. Located on the eastern slope of the Mayacamas mountain range, Spring Mountain District gained recognition as an American Vineyard Appellation (AVA) in 1993. The low vigor soils unique to the region were known to create a stressful environment for vine growth, setting up perfect conditions to encourage vineyards planted on the steep, rocky, mountainsides to produce wines of great concentration, structure, and pure varietal flavors.
Today Keenan Winery produces four superb and distinctive wines exclusively from grapes grown our Spring Mountain Estate: Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Cabernet Franc and a Merlot Reserve from the Mailbox Vineyard. Keenan also offers wines produced from estate fruit blended with grapes grown in carefully selected Napa Valley vineyards: Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, and the Mernet Reserve, which is a proprietary blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. Our Summer Blend, an annual spring release, is composed of mostly Chardonnay and blended with small amounts of Viognier and Albarino. keenanwinery.com
Item Special Note
Bidder must be at least 21 years old.
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