2017 Merlot
2017 Merlot
“Seavey’s 2017 Merlot is loaded with all of the savory character that makes this wine so distinctive. Cedar, tobacco, mint, licorice, dried flowers and dried red cherry fruit are some of the many notes that develop in this beguiling, mid-weight Merlot from Seavey. All the elements just fall into place. This is such a delicious and alluring wine.” -Antonio Galloni, Vinous, 93 points
Tasting Notes
Seavey’s 2017 Merlot offers a perfumed nose of pomegranate, blueberry, licorice, and cinnamon undergirded by subtle savory notes some of which are intriguingly gamey. On the palate, the wine presents baked cherry fruit and a medley of cedar, tobacco, and sandalwood flavors. The wine is mid-weight with smooth rounded tannins and a velvety textured finish. Perfectly balanced to age for a decade or more, this seductive Merlot speaks to the historic power of our steep hillside vineyards to deliver an exemplary Merlot.
Ratings
Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate (Oct. 2019) 90 points
“Aged 20 months in 38% new oak, the deep garnet-purple colored 2017 Merlot rolls effortlessly out of the glass with notions of baked red and black plums, mulberries and boysenberries with nuances of dried herbs, underbrush, vanilla pod and star anise. Medium-bodied, the palate delivers loads of juicy black fruits with a refreshing line and soft, rounded tannins, finishing with lovely purity.”
Jeb Dunnuck (Jan. 2020) 90 points
“A difficult vintage for Merlot, the 2017 Merlot nevertheless has pretty, perfumed notes of blueberries, bright cherries, leafy herbs, and sandalwood. Medium-bodied, elegant and nicely textured on the palate, it’s a balanced, rock-solid Merlot to enjoy over the coming decade or more.”
Antonio Galloni, Vinous (Jan. 2020) 93 points
“Seavey’s 2017 Merlot is loaded with all of the savory character that makes this wine so distinctive. Cedar, tobacco, mint, licorice, dried flowers and dried red cherry fruit are some of the many notes that develop in this beguiling, mid-weight Merlot from Seavey. All the elements just fall into place. This is such a delicious and alluring wine.”
Vineyard Notes
Seavey’s 24th vintage of single-vineyard estate Merlot comes entirely from grapes grown on the steep hillside blocks of our estate which we have now been farming for 40 years. The 2017 year began with dramatic rains that flooded the valley. Replenished after the extended drought, our vines grew with vigor through a mild spring that encouraged good fruit set. Our Merlot grapes were harvested in mid-September, prior to the memorable October wildfires.
Production Notes
Seavey separately harvests, vinifies, and ages each vineyard block of our grapes. Our winemaking follows classic Bordeaux methods with whole-berry fermentation. In the cool of the early morning harvest, grapes from our 2017 harvest were promptly de-stemmed and the uncrushed berries were gently transferred into fermentation tanks. In order to carefully manage the tannins and resulting wine texture, the grapes were neither crushed nor run through a pump. Following whole-berry fermentation, the wine was aged in French oak barrels (38% new) for 20 months before bottling in June 2019.
100% ESTATE GROWN, PRODUCED & BOTTLED, NAPA VALLEY AVA
- Appellation
- Napa Valley
- Blend
- 100% Merlot
- Production
- 342 Cases
- Barrels
- 100% French Oak (38% new)
- Cellaring
- 2020 - 2038
- Bottling Date
- June 2019
- Alcohol %
- 14.5
- Winemaking Team
- Jim Duane & Philippe Melka
