2006 Pride Merlot
From our vineyard atop Spring Mountain, the 2006 vintage produced wines of generous richness and expressive aromatics, and our Merlot is no exception. Red cherry, raspberry, cocoa and tar notes in the nose frame a broad wine with plenty of stuffing. With the first sip, the sensuous mouthfeel leads into the wine’s more serious side, as weighty but sweet tannins extend into a minutes-long finish. The blend is made up of 81% Clone 181 Merlot, contributing classic red fruit and bright acidity, 7% Clone 3 Merlot, adding heady floral and black fruit notes, and 11% Cabernet Sauvignon from our terraced Canyon Ranch vineyard block, bringing structure and focus to the final cuvée. A wine for Cabernet lovers, our Merlot is no wine to underestimate, and will continue to evolve over ten to twelve years in the bottle
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Profile
| Appellation: | Napa/Sonoma |
|---|---|
| Vintage: | 2006 |
| Harvest: | October 2006 |
| Fermentation: | Stainless Steel |
| Cooperage: | French Oak |
| Blend: | 89% Merlot/11% Cabernet Sauvignon |
| Alcohol: | 14.8% |
| Bottling: | April 2008 |
| Production: | 6077 cases |
| Release Date: | May 19, 2008 |
| Price: | $56.00 |
- December 12 , 2009Food and Wine Magazine, October 2009
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Best Merlot of 2009
Napa’s Spring Mountain, family-owned Pride Mountain Vineyards has made itself into a Merlot star with wines like this one. Winemaker Sally Johnson added some Cabernet Sauvignon for structure, but the black cherry fruit is pure Merlot, mingling with the mocha, graphite and wild berries. - December 12 , 2009Wine Enthusiast, July 2009
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Rating: 93
Made in the Pride style, this is a big, powerful wine that should age well. It’s enormously ripe, with flamboyant cassis, cherry pie filling, milk chocolate, licorice and smoky oak flavors that are wrapped into thoroughly modern, softly refined tannins. Just beautiful, and should develop through 2012. - May 27, 2009 California Grapevine, April/May Issue 2009
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Rating: 91
Medium to medium-dark ruby color; attractive, fragrant, spicy, plummy, red berry fruit aroma; full body; rich, textured, concentrated, cedary, dark currant and black cherry fruit flavors with good depth and structure; medium-full tannin; lingering aftertaste. Deserves several more years of bottle aging. Very highly recommended. - April 22, 2009 The Wine Spectator, Nov. 30, 2008
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Rating: 89 Dense and rich, displaying currant, licorice and spice aromas, with concentrated plum, espresso and loamy flavors that finish with firm, minerally tannins. Best from 2011 through 2015. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 6,077 cases made. –TF
- April 22, 2009 Connoisseurs' Guide, March 2009
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Rating: 92
Wispy suggestionsof loam and briar are almost obscured by chocolate and cherries in the highly ripe aromas of this one, but, the wine judiciously takes a step back in the mouth from excess and eschews simple ripeness in favor of sweet oak and deep, fully extracted fruit. Its pushy tannins do get in the way of early enjoyment, but it is certain to smooth and expand over half a decade or more.
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