Got The Grapes Inside
TASTING NOTES:
2020 Inspiration Merlot, Weiler Vineyard, Sonoma Valley - “You’ll find this to be a classic representation of the Merlot grape, showing aromatics of cocoa, rubbed sage and dark chocolate, while on the palate, black cherry, tea and red plumb with a silky-smooth finish. This wine is best now and will hold for another 3 years.” (AbV 13.9%)
2021 Inspiration Merlot, Weiler Vineyard, Sonoma Valley - “You’ll discover aromatics of molasses and cocoa with hints of berry and tea. On the palate, dark cherry, blackberry and wild cassis with a long berry finish.” (AbV 14.5%)
2022 Inspiration Merlot, Weiler Vineyard, Sonoma Valley - “One of the first things we’re taught as winemakers with multiple wines is not to admit to your customers that you have a favorite. But I figured I can cheat and say that of my ’20, ’21 & ’22 Merlot vintages, the ’22 vintage is my favorite. Perhaps it’s the richness and silky-smooth finish with lots of roundness?
You’ll discover aromatics of cedar, coffee, molasses and cocoa. On the palate, dark cherry, blackberry and sweet cedar with a long, round and balanced finish. Enjoy it now or lay it down for another 10 years.” (AbV 14.1%)
VARIETALS: 100% Merlot
BARRELS: 16 months aged in medium toast French oak, 30% new. Unfiltered
PAIRS WITH: “Classic” Steak & Frites - Filet Mignon with a Bearnaise sauce and French fries
THAT REMINDS ME OF: The Glass Fire.
On September 27, 2020, the Glass Fire ignited near Calistoga and eventually scorched over 67,000 acres across Napa and Sonoma Counties. It’s named for Glass Mountain Road, where the fire started — and Glass Mountain itself is named for the obsidian deposits on its slopes, volcanic glass that Native Americans used to trade as far away as the Pacific coast. So the name carries this long chain of associations: a fire named for a road named for a mountain named for ancient volcanic glass that was basically the high-tech material of the pre-Columbian world. Sharp, rare, and formed under pressure. People traveled a very long way for it.
The winemaker here watched a forecast, did the math, moved up harvest by fifteen days, and got the grapes inside before the smoke arrived. That’s not luck — that’s paying attention at exactly the right moment. There’s a whole genre of human decision-making that only looks obvious in retrospect: the general who repositions troops the night before the attack, the programmer who patches the vulnerability on a Thursday. The Glass Fire went on to destroy 1,555 structures. The 2020 Weiler Merlot is fine.
ICYMI, you have two choices:
Worried Summer heat might get to your wine before your wine gets to you? Order from this sale, the page you’re on right now, and we’ll get it to you at a cooler time of year (October)!
Want Protected Summer Shipping and don’t think heat will be a problem? Order from the sale linked here! We’ll still try to get them to you with as little travel time as we can.
Some places get absurdly hot during the Summer, and in particularly unpleasant circumstances, it can damage a wine. Most people get theirs no problem, but there are a couple each Summer that fall victim to the sun no matter how fast we get them to you. If you’ve experienced that before or are afraid it’ll happen to you, we’ll hold your order for you until October, if you order from the Summer Hold sale. We are reasonably sure things will be cooler then.
