Pahlmeyer Merlot 2016
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Product Details
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Winemaker Notes
Blend: 96.5% Merlot, 2.5% Malbec, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This super-concentrated Merlot is brimming with blueberry, bilberry and bitter-chocolate aromas. Plush tannins provide a deep and firm foundation for the rich body. Impressive now, but with the structure for long aging. Drink or hold.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Mostly estate fruit, the 2016 Merlot spent 22 months in primarily new French oak. Black cherries, smoked earth, graphite, dark chocolate, and licorice notes all emerge from this rich, full-bodied, concentrated Merlot that has subtle background oak but displays a supple, seamless balance style that’s a joy to drink.
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Wine Spectator
Hedonistic, featuring dark plum, kirsch and cherry tart flavors that are lavishly oaked. Shows a plush texture throughout, with creamy notes and a long finish filled with dark chocolate, mocha and Asian spice details. Drink now through 2023.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 97% Merlot, 2% Malbec and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2016 Merlot is very deep garnet-purple colored and offers exuberant notions of crushed red and black plums, warm blackberries and Indian spices with hints of cardamom, sautéed herbs, garrigue and dusty soil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers mouth-filling plum-laced flavors with a velvety frame and loads of freshness on the long, spicy finish.
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Pahlmeyer was founded in 1986, by a desire to be great by its eponymous creator Jayson Pahlmeyer. With a dream to create a California Mouton, Jayson and his partners spared no resource to make this dream a reality. Whether it was finding the perfect piece of land high atop Napa Valley’s Atlas Peak or covertly smuggling in Bordeaux cuttings, all pieces of Pahlmeyer’s history have led to its place as one of the top brand names from Napa Valley. From the very beginning, Pahlmeyer has been dedicated to crafting fine wines from the best fruit sources possible. In California, this means high elevation mountain sites, where the grapes are afforded more sunlight, cooler temperatures, and less fertile soils, which together create ideal conditions. Pahlmeyer sources the majority of their fruit from four key locations: Pahlmeyer Estate (Atlas Peak), Stagecoach (Atlas Peak / Pritchard Hill), Rancho Chimiles, and Antica.
As Napa Valley’s third most planted grape, Napa Valley Merlot shows time and time again its potential to produce exceptional results. Napa’s vaunted combination of climate, soil and the human factor of winemaking expertise lead to big, ripe, cellar-worthy and world-class versions.
Whether made by itself in single varietal bottlings or as an important role in Bordeaux Blends, Merlot continues a prominent role in this famous region. While Cabernet typically takes the lead role, Merlot’s contribution—even at 10% to 20% or so—is significant indeed. Often described as “the flesh on Cabernet’s bones,” Merlot lends a soft, round and plush character that beautifully complements Cabernet’s linear, full-throttle structure. Its flavors of plums plus subtle herbs and mint also dovetail nicely with Cabernet’s blackberry and cassis.