Truchard Merlot Napa Carneros

”vintage: the 2013 vintage is even better than the near-perfect 2012 harvest! A warm and dry spring resulted in excellent berry set and a larger crop. Moderate temperatures throughout the growing season easily brought the fruit to full maturity. The wines of 2013 have great intensity and acidity; with beautiful aromas and flavors. Vineyard: merlot is harvested from five separate hillside locations on the truchard estate vineyard. The differences in soil exposure and temperature at each site combine to produce unique growing conditions for the grapes. As a result the wines from these hillsides each have their own identity and each contributes different characteristics to the final blend. The vines range from 15 – 37 years old. Cabernet franc grown in adjacent areas of the vineyard is added in to provide additional softness structure and complexity. Winemaking: all of the fruit was gently destemmed and crushed then inoculated with pasteur red yeast. Each fermentation was