Hook & Ladder Merlot

Tasting notes & discussion 36

Typically $32/bottle from Hook & Ladder
Vintage 2016 from the Chalk Hill District (Russian River Valley)
Available for AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; LA; MA; MD; ME; MN; MI; MO; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WA; WI; WY
Sold by Hook & Ladder Vineyards and Winery, fulfilled by Wine Country Connect

About Hook & Ladder Vineyards and Winery
Founded in 2003 by Cecil and Christine De Loach, the Hook & Ladder Winery name refers to Cecil’s 17-year long career as a fireman in San Francisco. Today it’s led by their grandson Jason, but Hook & Ladder’s wines still exhibit the same high quality and diversity of the Russian River Valley regions they are sourced from, particularly Chalk Hill.

Playing Hooky

TASTING NOTES:
“Deep garnet in color with notes of clove and cedar highlight the bouquet of this Merlot. A complex palate of juicy raspberries and dry cocoa with very light tannins leads to a lingering cherry spice finish.” (AbV 14.5%, pH 3.45, TA 0.65 g/100mL)

BARRELS:
18 months in European and American oak, 25% new.

TANGENTIALLY RELATED FACT to help you make conversation over this wine:
So, I went into this expecting an interesting or weird story behind why the word “hooky” is associated with truancy. But no, it’s pretty dull. The prevailing theory is that it came from the Dutch phrase “hoekje spelen,” which used to mean playing hide and seek. “Hoekje” can refer to a hiding place and sounds like hooky, so it got associated with “playing hide and seek” but from school.

PAIRS WITH (winery recommended):
Grilled lamb or peppercorn steak.

OR (really-going-with-the-theme-option):
A more interesting backstory than just a silly homonym!

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