2018 OBELISCO Merlot
AVA:Red Mountain
Winemakers:Ken Abbott, Hope Nastri
Blend:92% Merlot, 8% Malbec
Vineyards:100% Obelisco
Bottling:310 cases 750ml
Alcohol:14.2% vol.
Barrels:40% new – 100% French
Tasting Notes:Beautiful deep red color. Aromas start with deep rich dark fruit, mixed in with vanilla and subtle basil like spices. The first sip is silky, rich, full and deep for a Merlot with blueberry, blackberry, dark cherry, married with some rounded spice. As the flavors spread onto the palate, the dark flavors give you a hint of acids before fading into the flavors you started with. The tail is strong and lasting as the spice fades into dark plum and boysenberry. This Merlot demands you kick up your feet and relax. Suddenly any troubles on your mind are gone.
Cellaring:Because it is made from Red Mountain Merlot and Cabernet this wine should age well for the next 10 to 12 years. Because it is Obelisco fruit it is soft and inviting now.
Production:All the fruit for this wine is from Obelisco Vineyard. The high density planting yields smaller berries, which contribute to the concentrated flavors, yet this vineyard always makes wines with luxurious tannins and mouth feel. The aging vineyard is producing naturally tannic wines that do not need as much new oak to give it structure.
Harvest notes:2018 was a fairly balanced year weather wise. The fruit from this year tended to have darker fruit notes across the board. It seems like a lighter acid year, but the flavors produced say otherwise. While we may have been worried about some of the lower acids, the wine produced is rich in flavor and silky. Seems to be a very unique harvest that seemed like many other harvests, yet produced a much different mid-line flavor. The fruit was quality and rich. The cool nights lowered the acid some in the Fall which led to a softer and silkier feel from the grapes.
