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SOLD OUT! ... 2007 Merlot will be released September 2010!
- Price Per Bottle $35.00
- Price Per Case $357.00
Winemaker’s Notes
2006
JOULLIAN FAMILY RESERVE MERLOT • Carmel Valley Estate
Our 2006 Family Reserve Merlot was produced from the 5 best barrels of the Three Palms Clone planted in a clay and gravel section of our Estate back in 1984. The fruit is always so concentrated that we have to crush it twice in order to pump it into the fermenter…let's just say its skin and pulp rich, but "juice challenged. "The barrels were topped with cabernet to add complexity and a richer mouth feel.
Vinification featured a 3-day cold soak for more gentle color and tannin extraction prior to 2 punchdowns and pumpovers daily for 8 days, and then an additional 10-day maceration with minimal handling.The wine was aged in 20% new French oak barrels which were racked quarterly.
Both the fruit and structure are opulent, but the wine still maintains the Old World combination of structure, balance, flavor and aging potential which are the hallmarks of all Joullian red wines. The wine was bottled un-fined, so expect some natural sediment to form after several more years of aging.
| TECHNICAL INFORMATION: |
| Varietal Content: |
99.5% Merlot, .5% Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Appellation/AVA: |
100% Joullian Estate, Carmel Valley |
| Harvest Date : |
November 7, 2006 |
| Sugar At Harvest: |
24.0° Brix |
| Fermentation: |
Primary/secondary fermentation completed in 18 days |
| Barrel Aging: |
Sixteen months in 20% new French oak barrels |
| Alcohol: |
13.5% |
| Total Acidity/pH: |
5.9 g/L; 3.80 |
| Residual Sugar: |
Dry (0.05%) |
| Total Production: |
124 cases: 750ml |
| Release Date: |
July 1, 2009
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TASTING NOTES: Very dark garnet red with a cherry rim. Complex perfumy, spicy black tartarian cherry, ollalieberry and cedar nose.A tightly focused wild berry and cedar entry expands into concentrated,medium bodied cherry, red licorice and berry midpalate that finishes with enough fresh, grip and acidity to maintain freshness, balance and persistence. An amazingly concentrated and focused wine without any bombastic, overripe tendencies.
FOOD COMPANIONS: Serve with grilled quail, roast duck, roast beef, lamb shanks, grilled salmon steaks or pasta with cream sauces…and carnitas with corn tortillas.
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