Our Vintner Select Merlot has always been a wine of instant gratification, but the temperate ripening conditions of the 2008 vintage have truly pushed decadence to the max! Mother Nature did our thinning for us with a severe spring frost and heavy shatter during bloom, resulting in just 1.3 tons per acre of fruit from our Lower Mountain Top block. We picked and fermented the grapes nearly vine by vine, as uneven ripening during harvest necessitated multiple vineyard passes to pick each grape at the peak of ripeness. The nose possesses a pungent bouquet of fruit, floral and spice aromas, displaying black cherry, red raspberry, lilac, exotic spice and even a touch of minerality in turn. On the mouth, the wine coats and lingers with a sumptuous viscosity and beautifully ripe tannins.