Marciano Estate Terra Gratia 2013
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Parker
Robert
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Blend: 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 14% Petit Verdot
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Terra Gratia is a proprietary blend of 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot and the rest equal parts Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot aged 22 months in one-third new French oak. A plush Bordeaux-like wine with lots of structure, elegant licorice, unsmoked cigar tobacco as well as tobacco leaf, and plenty of black currants and cedar wood, it is medium to full-bodied, delicious and best drunk over the next 10-12 years.
Southwest of St. Helena, in the Napa Valley is our 20 acre estate and winery. We are tucked in the foothills of the Mayacamas mountain range and surrounded by old-growth forests. The property was a part of the historic Bourn estate dating back to 1872 at the beginnings of winemaking in the Napa Valley. Morgan Maurèze, who is our Winemaker & Director at Marciano Estate, is a fifth-generation winemaker who grew up working at Dominus alongside his father. After completing his BS Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis he worked in France for Petrus, Chateau Haut-Brion & La Mission Haut-Brion in Bordeaux and DRC or Domaine de la Romanée Conti in Burgundy.
After graduating from his second Master from the University of Bordeaux, he returned back to the Napa Valley, and worked with Andy Erickson, at prestigious wineries such as Screaming Eagle Ovid, Arietta, Dancing Hares, Dalla Valle, and now full-time winemaker for Marciano Estate. Our consulting team for the winemaking, Mr. Andy Erickson & Mr. Michel Rolland and Mr. David Abreu as the Vineyard Manager. A team passionate about people, the art and winemaking philosophy are dedicated to only present the most exceptional experience and wines to our friends and collectors.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.