2005 Bell Wine Cellars Merlot, Yountville, Napa Valley (Wine Selections / Red Wine) -- Bell Wine Cellars Shopping Cart -- Valley Napa Yountville, Merlot, Cellars Wine Bell 2005

<H1>2005 Bell Wine Cellars Merlot, Yountville, Napa Valley -- Bell Wine Cellars Shopping Cart</H1> $36.00 -- 2005 Bell Wine Cellars Merlot, Yountville, Napa Valley <IMG SRC="https://store.nexternal.com/bellwine/images/YVL%20Merlot1.gif" WIDTH=150 ALIGN=right ALT="2005 Bell Wine Cellars Merlot, Yountville, Napa Valley" NAME="2005 Bell Wine Cellars Merlot, Yountville, Napa Valley" BORDER=0 HSPACE=10> Vineyard Our Merlot grapes are estate grown on the winery’s SpanosBerberian Estate Vineyard in Yountville approximately one mile south of the Yountville Hills. Yountville enjoys the early morning fog and cool growing conditions of the maritime influenced southern Napa Valley, whilst the early receding fog gives us more sunlight and warmer daytime temperatures than the more southerly Carneros region. Our warm summer daytime temperatures and cool evenings result in grapes with rich fruit flavors and an excellent acid balance. Vintage Notes The 2005 growing season began with wet weather, followed by a dry period in March. Rainfall continued well into spring with later than usual bloom and set and we experienced unseasonable rain into June. The cool weather continued into summer with few heat spikes. As September approached we were concerned that the larger than normal crop would not mature as fog prevailed well into the harvest season, keeping daytime temperatures cool. The long cool growing season gave us excellent wines with beautiful structure, great color and high natural acidity. Vinification Merlot grapes were hand-harvested and gently crushed to minimize crushing of berries and maximize fruit character. We fermented at 80 degrees-F with a Bordeaux yeast strain, and extracted color utilizing gentle irrigation over the skins. Following fermentation, the wine underwent malo-lactic fermentation and was then racked to barrel. The wine was barrel aged in a combination of French (65%) and American (35%) oak barrels, 50% of which were new, for 18 months. The wine was not fined and received one light filtration prior to bottling. Tasting Notes Our Merlot, deep garnet in color, has rich black cherry fruit aromas, with hints of eucalyptus and oak. Diligent canopy management during the summer to expose the fruit to dappled sunlight, and severe crop thinning prior to harvest to ensure evenly mature fruit and to balance the crop, yields a rich, full-bodied wine with a lovely structure. Elegant tannins balance well with good fruit acidity, concentrated fruit flavors and sweet vanilla oak flavors to yield a wine that will develop well with several years of aging. A rich, concentrated “Cabernet drinkers” Merlot with a layered, lingering finish and supple mouthfeel. Technical Analysis: Varietal: Merlot (98%) Cabernet sauvignon (2%) Appellation: Yountville, Napa Valley Harvest Sugar 24 Brix Harvest Acid 0.54 gm/100ml Total Acid 0.63 gm/100ml pH 3.59 Alcohol 13.7% Aging 18 months in oak, 50% new barrels 65% French, 35% American Bottle Date August 2007 Production 248 cases Other products in the category <A HREF="http://www.nexternal.com/bellwine/Category1" TITLE="Wine Selections">Wine Selections</A> / <A HREF="http://www.nexternal.com/bellwine/Category2" TITLE="Red Wine">Red Wine</A>: <LI><A HREF=http://www.nexternal.com/bellwine/Product40 TITLE="2003 Bell Wine Cellars Sonnette, Red Wine, Napa Valley">2003 Bell Wine Cellars Sonnette, Red Wine, Napa Valley</A> -- 2003 Bell Wine Cellars Sonnette, Red Wine, Napa Valley <LI><A HREF=http://www.nexternal.com/bellwine/Product76 TITLE="2004 Bell Wine Cellars Sonnette, Red Wine, Napa Valley">2004 Bell Wine Cellars Sonnette, Red Wine, Napa Valley</A> -- 2004 Bell Wine Cellars Sonnette, Red Wine, Napa Valley 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