Dear Friends,

You heard it here first with the release of our Lot 344 Oakville Merlot - Merlot is making a comeback. The good news is that the Merlot herd has been seriously thinned – by that I mean that most of the lesser quality plantings that plagued the California Merlot business in the latter 90’s and early 2000’s have been culled to make way for Pinot Noir. Since Pinot Noir and the movie Sideways played a hand in Merlot's “demise”, it's high art that Pinot Noir is now inhabiting these lesser/warmer soils of the Central Valley and Central Coast and responsible for the waves of innocuous CA Pinot that have been washing over the US…maybe not today, but I am sure a similar reckoning is in the works there as well.

But let’s move on to rosier topics and talk about Lot 356 2010 Chalk Hill Merlot. Chalk Hill IS a terrific appellation for Merlot, the climate is cooler and well suited for earlier ripening Merlot. Lot 356 is sourced from an ultra-premium producer and really, that’s all I can say about that. What I can tell you is winemakers Sam and Mike got in a whole load of trouble for blending in some of our best (and priciest) hillside Napa Cabernet to flesh out this blend. The result is a mind-blowingly gorgeous wine - deep, dark and dense with aromas of black cherry, cassis, olive, and spice.  It’s rich and lush on the palate with layers of black fruit, hazelnut and cocoa.

So, I have been on the road for the past few weeks and sadly, I didn't get a chance to make a tasting video for this wine, yet. But don't worry, I'm back on Friday and will have one up on www.chwine.com by the afternoon! As always, if you have any questions about this or any of our other wines, please don't hesitate to email us or call us at 1-800-805-1971.