Merlot, Napa Valley, 2009
The generally cool 2009 growing season in Napa Valley allowed our carefully selected Merlot grapes to achieve full maturity with an excellent balance of sugar and acidity and rich, ripe flavors. Eighteen months' aging in French oak barrels, 38% new, fine-tuned the wine's bold plum and cherry fruit aromas and mouthfilling plum, black cherry and bright berry flavors, which are perfectly balanced by fresh acidity and supple tannins. Notes of espresso and sweet oak burnish the long, savory finish of this classic Napa Valley red. www.cakebread.com. Alcohol 14.1% by volume. Produced and bottled by Cakebread Cellars, Rutherford, CA USA.