2006 Wooldridge Creek Vineyard Merlot ($25.00 each)

TASTING NOTE

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TECHNICAL INFORMATION

VINEYARDS

FERMENTATION AND AGING

TASTING NOTES
The 2006 Merlot has an intense ruby color with aromas of baked plums, cranberry and violets filling the glass. The mouthfeel is velvety and elegant with flavors of black cherries, cassis and blueberries. We blended in a small amount of Zinfandel which adds tones of pepper and cassis. This wine is enjoyable now but will improve with cellaring.

THE VINTAGE
The 2006 growing season will be remembered by most viticulturalists as one of the best vintages in terms of minimal disease pressure and overall crop quality. Favorable weather at bloom in April resulted in a generous crop set, and crop thinning was done throughout each of our vineyard sites to improve overall quality in the grapes. Limited precipitation resulted in no disease pressure throughout Oregon. As harvest approached, winemakers were blessed with fully ripened and mature fruit. In 2006, Oregon winemakers were blessed with the rare combination of robust yields and exceptional quality.

THE VINEYARD
The Wooldridge Creek Vineyard is located in Southern Oregon near the town of Grants Pass in the Applegate Valley Appellation. It is a hillside vineyard planted at 1800-ft elevation. The vines are densely planted at 1200/acre, running north to south allowing for maximum exposure to the sun. All the vineyards are planted on Josephine soil, a soil type known for its excellent drainage. Approximately half the fruit was green pruned (thinned at the time of veraison) to assure low yields and concentration of flavors. The blocks we closely monitored as harvest approached, and the picking dates were based on taste. All grapes were harvested in ideal conditions at 25º Brix.

VINIFICATION
This wine was hand-crafted to achieve a fully extracted and complex style.10% whole clusters were used to enhance the spiciness of the wine. Cold maceration preceded fermentation, which was conducted in open-top, Burgundian-style tanks. The wine was allowed 21 days of skin contact and daily punchdowns before being gravity fed directly to barrels. 100% Malolactic fermentation occurred during a nine month period. The wine spent 16 months in French oak (20% new) from a variety of cooperages. A small amount of Zinfandel was blended in to add to the spiciness to the wine. It was bottled unfiltered and fined with traditional egg whites.