COMPLETE TASTING NOTES
The 1997 vintage featured an early bud break, full crops, and a lengthy, steady ripening season. August El Niño rains exerted little effect but to put the brakes on rapidly rising sugars, a result of the otherwise ideal weather. The fruit achieved physiological maturity a month earlier than the previous vintage, resulting in differing acid and alcohol profiles for the wines. Despite this, the 1997 Chalk Hill Merlot retains the characters inherent in our Merlot: flavors of ripe raspberries and blueberries with a dusting of lavender and earthy spiciness. Chalk Hill's site characteristics determine these characters, which are also influenced by plantings of four different clones of Merlot, each displaying quite individual interpretations of Merlot varietal character. The wine was produced with traditional techniques: native yeast fermentations, ageing in French oak, malolactic in barrel, and quarterly rackings. Small amounts of Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot complete the blend, heightening the complexity and rounding out the structure of the wine. The wine required no fining or filtration, and was bottled in July 1999.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
- Blend:
- 91% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot
- Vineyard:
- Estate
- Appellation:
- Chalk Hill
- Ageing:
- Twenty months, 51% new French oak
- Harvested:
- September 10-27, 1997, Brix 25.3°, T.A. 6.1 g/l, pH 3.63
- Bottled:
- July 19-21, 1999, T.A. 5.9 g/l, pH 3.49
