2012 Pride Mountain Merlot Vintner's Select
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Tasting notes
The 2012 Merlot Vintner’s Select is 100% Merlot from the Sonoma side of their vineyards, aged in 40% new French oak for 20 months. This smaller cuvée of just over 500 cases displays lots of chocolate and espresso notes, plenty of glycerin, and touches of background oak, spice box, blackberry and black cherry jam. It is ripe, dense, delicious, and ideal for drinking over the next 8-10 years.
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Average Score
Robert Parker
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2012 Merlot Vintner Select is deep, inky and explosive, with plenty of varietal character and richness. Ripeness is pushed to the edge, which actually works well with Merlot, although some tasters might notice a slightly oxidative note that peeks through on the finish. The 2012 could use further time in bottle to drop some baby fat, but it is impressive, even today. Succulent dark cherries, raspberry jam, cloves, mint and new leather linger on the close.