2023 Merlot

“Seavey’s 2023 Merlot is fabulous. Strong floral, savory and mineral inflections shape this midweight, structured Merlot. Red-toned fruit and a kick of blood orange peel appear later. Bright acids pull it all together on the finish. This is a very serious Merlot for the dinner table. Impressive.” – Antonio Galloni, Vinous (Nov. 2025) 93 points

Tasting Notes

The 2023 Merlot offers a deep purple hue and a ripe, powerful nose of grilled black cherries, plums, leather, dried herbs, and chocolate. It’s full-bodied with strong floral, savory and mineral inflections. It offers a lush, beautifully textured mouthfeel, and a lively spine of bright acidity.

Ratings

Jeb Dunnuck (Dec. 2025) 93 points
“Based on 96% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2023 Merlot offers a deep purple hue and a ripe, powerful nose of black cherries, plums, leather, dried herbs, and chocolate. It’s medium to full-bodied and round, with a lush, beautifully textured mouthfeel and a lively spine of acidity. This has the balance, structure, and length to evolve for 10-12 years. Drink 2025-2037.”

Joe Czerwinski, The Wine Advocate (Oct. 2025) 91 points
“Seavey’s 2023 Merlot is a fine wine in its own right, different from the estate’s lauded Cabernets. Aged in considerably less new French oak (only about 40%), the nose includes hints of rose petals, cassis and grilled black cherries. Medium- to full-bodied, this wine is silky, refined and easy to like, brought together by soft tannins on the finish. It should drink well for at least a decade.”

Antonio Galloni, Vinous (Nov. 2025) 93 points
“Seavey’s 2023 Merlot is fabulous. Strong floral, savory and mineral inflections shape this midweight, structured Merlot. Red-toned fruit and a kick of blood orange peel appear later. Bright acids pull it all together on the finish. This is a very serious Merlot for the dinner table. Impressive.”

Vineyard Notes

Seavey’s 30th vintage of single-vineyard estate Merlot comes entirely from grapes grown on the steep hillside blocks of our estate, which we have been farming for over forty years. The 2023 growing season was long and cool with ample moisture. These were nearly ideal growing conditions for what will likely prove to be a legendary vintage.

Production Notes

Following classic Bordeaux methods, we separately harvest and vinify each vineyard block. In the cool of the night in October 2023, these grapes were harvested by-hand and then promptly de-stemmed, rigorously sorted, and gently transferred into fermentation tanks to carefully manage the tannins and resulting wine texture. After fermentation, the grapes were drained off the skins. The wine was then aged in French oak barrels (35% new) for 20 months before bottling in June 2025.

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100% ESTATE GROWN, PRODUCED & BOTTLED, NAPA VALLEY AVA