2019 Pedroncelli Merlot, Bench Vineyards, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
Tasting Notes
Aromas are rich and enticing with hints of spice and ripe berries. Flavors of black plum and warm baking spices are showcased with a light oak toast and minerality. Medium bodied with soft tannins follow through to a savory and lingering finish. A beautifully balanced wine.
Bench Vineyards
The source for our Merlot comes from three vineyard blocks off of our estate vineyard located along Dry Creek Road from vineyard planted over 5 years beginning in 1990. Bench Vineyards, the name chosen for this wine, describes the natural terraces that flank Dry Creek Valley and rise gradually into the steep hills. Characterized by sloped topography and gravelly/rocky residual soils, the unique growing conditions combine to bring out the best in our Merlot.
Winemaker Notes
The 2019 vintage brought plenty of rain, an even and cool growing season which slowed maturity. Perfect weather conditions during harvest season with warm days and cool nights developed more aromatics and flavors than previous vintages. The grapes were harvested on September 27 and crushed into temperature controlled stainless steel tanks and cold soaked for 48 hours. Daily pumpovers during the fermentation gives a substantial increase in flavor and color. The young wine was transferred to small American oak barrels to age for 12 months in order to develop smoothness and complexity, giving the wine a subtle backbone of oak components with a judicial use of new oak.
Specs
Appellation: Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
Barrel Aging: 12 months in American Oak, 30% new
Alcohol: 14.5%
pH: 3.56
Total Acidity: .562g/100ml
What’s Included
6-bottles:
6x 2019 Pedroncelli Merlot, Bench Vineyards, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
Case:
12x 2019 Pedroncelli Merlot, Bench Vineyards, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
The year was 1927. President Calvin Coolidge captured the imagination of nobody. Babe Ruth hit home run after home run powered by little more than whiskey and sausage. And John Pedroncelli, Sr. bought a vineyard and winery in Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County. Since then, four generations of Pedroncellis have weathered Prohibition, wine booms and busts, and changing tastes. And they’re still a family-owned operation making acclaimed premium wines. Wherever you are now, Sultan of Swat and Silent Cal, this next glass is for you.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Greetings all! I was quite lucky to receive a golden bottle of 2019 Pedroncelli Merlot, Bench Vineyards. As a long time Pedroncelli QPR aficionado, i was excited to dig in.
As expected, color was deep ruby, with a slightly purple clear meniscus. This is a young wine.
Nose: i got some coffee aromas, some rose, and a little bit of melon.
Tasting is where it gets really good. This wine really coats the mouth and has plenty of acid and tannin built in. Back to the smokey notes this time as a tobacco vibe. Fruit on the tongue was generally in the “red” category. Darker, but still “red”.
Yet another solid bottle from Pedroncelli! It paired well with veggie pizza and even the after-dinner chocolate. Thanks all for the opportunity to taste and tell.
@knlprez glanced back at my notes and I’ve had lots of the Merlot in previous vintages. I don’t remember this coffee/tobacco before. But it still pegs the fresh fun wine vibe.
@knlprez Not me this time - trying to be disciplined!
If this were the Pedroncelli Four Grapes Port I’d be all over it.
@Winedavid49 I don’t think their Port has been on the site in over a year…any chance of seeing it here again soon? Or do we have to wait for a future vintage?
A little bit of Saturday love from Beverage Tasting Institute (tastings.com)…
93 Points. Gold Medal. Exceptional. Cellar Selection
Dusty ruby color. Aromas and flavors of sun dried tomato, blistered raspberry, roasted red pepper, and honey with a velvety, crisp, dry medium-to-full body and a warming, nuanced, long finish with accents of roasted hazelnuts, cured meats, and cocoa butter. Great texture, great body, and a distinctive savory style. 1/13/22
Score: 89. Issue: Apr 30, 2022
Shows a supple mix of dried red cherry and currant flavors, with notes of hot stone as well as sanguine hints in the midpalate. The finish is highlighted by cooking spice accents and hints of dried fig. Drink now. 1,750 cases made. — KM
@CorTot@davirom@kaolis
Really nobody has ever licked a warm stone?! Tell you what put a dab of honey on a warm piece of granite and you will know what a great off dry riesling tastes like
@CorTot@davirom@kaolis@ScottW58 I like that description of what I’d call my favorite type of Riesling – and not too much honey on mine, please. But I’ve never “mapped” that “mineral” flavor to a Merlot. Though admittedly I haven’t been a big Merlot consumer so my exposure (especially to the better-grade ones) was limited.
Apologetic late lab rat checking in (it’s kind of a long story)! Thrilled to get to rat a bottle from one of my auto-buys, thank you Alice and Casemates! First, Vivino tells me I rated the 2016 Merlot five stars, so that’s encouraging (and I’m not one to grab a Merlot). Please give this wine time to breathe. On initial smell/taste I was not super impressed. Smelled a bit musty but not in a bad way, taste was dry and intense. After letting it sit awhile, I’m honestly still not smelling a whole lot, but it’s April and I’m allergic to everything that occurs in nature so let’s blame that. It now has a super rich mouthfeel. I agree with the other rat that it tastes young, may want to hang on for a bit. I didn’t pair it with a meal but it worked well with chocolate covered cherries. Smoked gouda was not a great pairing. I’ll try to get some others to sample today or tomorrow and check back with more feedback, but this is a buy, folks! [heic image links are a fail here]
Popping back in to share more reviews in case anyone is on the fence. They’re incredibly nuanced, as you’ll see . Brought what was left to dinner at my mother’s and had all the wine lovers try it. “Smooth, gentle, verrry nice, hints of tobacco.” No one thought it was a merlot, and my sister who exclusively drinks Cabernet came back for more.
Pedroncelli is a almost guaranteed autobuy for me, although I have become a sucker more for the mixed offerings than the single offering like this.
I must admit, I’m a bit shocked to how light the posts have been being a Pedroncelli!
Just popped a 2017(90th Anniversary) Bench Vineyard Merlot.
As with many here, Pedroncelli has always been an Autobuy, and if I 1. Had any room, 2. Hadn’t just been caught by SWMBO hiding 30 cases, and 3. Hadn’t had a nearly $30K roof installed yesterday…
But, you still have time, and I do heartily recommend.
Damn! it’s improved over the past 10 minutes.
Ha…this was supposed to be delivered first week in May I think. Shazam…showed up today UPS. Thank goodness I was home cause usually out on Saturdays. No shipping or tracking notice and still is not showing even being shipped. Not going to complain…I like sooner than later.
2019 Pedroncelli Merlot, Bench Vineyards, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County
Tasting Notes
Bench Vineyards
Winemaker Notes
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $264/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, May 9 - Friday, May 13
2019 Pedroncelli Merlot
6 bottles for $89.99 $15/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $164.99 $13.75/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Greetings all! I was quite lucky to receive a golden bottle of 2019 Pedroncelli Merlot, Bench Vineyards. As a long time Pedroncelli QPR aficionado, i was excited to dig in.
As expected, color was deep ruby, with a slightly purple clear meniscus. This is a young wine.
Nose: i got some coffee aromas, some rose, and a little bit of melon.
Tasting is where it gets really good. This wine really coats the mouth and has plenty of acid and tannin built in. Back to the smokey notes this time as a tobacco vibe. Fruit on the tongue was generally in the “red” category. Darker, but still “red”.
Yet another solid bottle from Pedroncelli! It paired well with veggie pizza and even the after-dinner chocolate. Thanks all for the opportunity to taste and tell.
@radiolysis have you had any of the previous vintages? I’m curious how it compares.
@knlprez glanced back at my notes and I’ve had lots of the Merlot in previous vintages. I don’t remember this coffee/tobacco before. But it still pegs the fresh fun wine vibe.
@radiolysis thanks for the rattage
Anyone in Denver want to split 50/50?
@knlprez Not me this time - trying to be disciplined!
If this were the Pedroncelli Four Grapes Port I’d be all over it.
@Winedavid49 I don’t think their Port has been on the site in over a year…any chance of seeing it here again soon? Or do we have to wait for a future vintage?
@CObrent fair enough!
A little bit of Saturday love from Beverage Tasting Institute (tastings.com)…
93 Points. Gold Medal. Exceptional. Cellar Selection
Dusty ruby color. Aromas and flavors of sun dried tomato, blistered raspberry, roasted red pepper, and honey with a velvety, crisp, dry medium-to-full body and a warming, nuanced, long finish with accents of roasted hazelnuts, cured meats, and cocoa butter. Great texture, great body, and a distinctive savory style. 1/13/22
fwiw
Oh my, almost forgot Spectator musings…
Score: 89. Issue: Apr 30, 2022
Shows a supple mix of dried red cherry and currant flavors, with notes of hot stone as well as sanguine hints in the midpalate. The finish is highlighted by cooking spice accents and hints of dried fig. Drink now. 1,750 cases made. — KM
@kaolis can someone tell me what hot stone tastes like???
@CorTot It’s a sauna thing right?
@CorTot @kaolis Ask Moses
@CorTot @davirom @kaolis
Really nobody has ever licked a warm stone?! Tell you what put a dab of honey on a warm piece of granite and you will know what a great off dry riesling tastes like
@CorTot @davirom @kaolis @ScottW58 I like that description of what I’d call my favorite type of Riesling – and not too much honey on mine, please. But I’ve never “mapped” that “mineral” flavor to a Merlot. Though admittedly I haven’t been a big Merlot consumer so my exposure (especially to the better-grade ones) was limited.
@davirom @kaolis @ScottW58 nope, I don’t go around licking rocks you bunch of weirdos!!
@CorTot @davirom @ScottW58 Not a bunch of weirdos, just one it seems…
@CorTot @davirom @kaolis
Really?! Weirdos is all you got? I’ve been called worse than that! Probably by you
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2019 Pedroncelli Merlot - $15 = 8.33%
In for 2…Gotta love it when Pedroncelli shows up on Casemates!!!
Apologetic late lab rat checking in (it’s kind of a long story)! Thrilled to get to rat a bottle from one of my auto-buys, thank you Alice and Casemates! First, Vivino tells me I rated the 2016 Merlot five stars, so that’s encouraging (and I’m not one to grab a Merlot). Please give this wine time to breathe. On initial smell/taste I was not super impressed. Smelled a bit musty but not in a bad way, taste was dry and intense. After letting it sit awhile, I’m honestly still not smelling a whole lot, but it’s April and I’m allergic to everything that occurs in nature so let’s blame that. It now has a super rich mouthfeel. I agree with the other rat that it tastes young, may want to hang on for a bit. I didn’t pair it with a meal but it worked well with chocolate covered cherries. Smoked gouda was not a great pairing. I’ll try to get some others to sample today or tomorrow and check back with more feedback, but this is a buy, folks!
Happy Roof Deck Season to all who celebrate!
@murftastic thanks for the report. Nice view
Popping back in to share more reviews in case anyone is on the fence. They’re incredibly nuanced, as you’ll see
. Brought what was left to dinner at my mother’s and had all the wine lovers try it. “Smooth, gentle, verrry nice, hints of tobacco.” No one thought it was a merlot, and my sister who exclusively drinks Cabernet came back for more.
Love me some Ped, love me some merlot…count me in!
/giphy Resplendent-singular-doll
How does this compare to the 2018?
Dry Creek Valley, mmm!
/giphy billowy-rusty-line
Pedroncelli!!
/giphy equitable-polarizing-stitch
Happy Easter to @pedroncellifam @Winedavid49 @WCCWineGirl and all of my fellow Casemates!
Pedroncelli is a almost guaranteed autobuy for me, although I have become a sucker more for the mixed offerings than the single offering like this.
I must admit, I’m a bit shocked to how light the posts have been being a Pedroncelli!
Same here, it’s just that I’m out of room. A mixed case with some of the higher end cabs would be a no brainer.
Happy Easter! I’ll celebrate with a case of Pedroncelli!
Just popped a 2017(90th Anniversary) Bench Vineyard Merlot.
As with many here, Pedroncelli has always been an Autobuy, and if I 1. Had any room, 2. Hadn’t just been caught by SWMBO hiding 30 cases, and 3. Hadn’t had a nearly $30K roof installed yesterday…
But, you still have time, and I do heartily recommend.
Damn! it’s improved over the past 10 minutes.
Anyone tried this shipment yet? Interested in some feedback.
Ha…this was supposed to be delivered first week in May I think. Shazam…showed up today UPS. Thank goodness I was home cause usually out on Saturdays. No shipping or tracking notice and still is not showing even being shipped. Not going to complain…I like sooner than later.