2011 Pahlmeyer Merlot

One of the most beautiful wines of the year, the 2011 Merlot is endowed with tremendous energy, much of it because of the high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon and a reliance of fruit from mountain sites rather than the valley floor, which simply proves just how great this overlooked vintage is in the right spots. Graphite, smoke, tar, licorice and plum notes meld into the finish. This is a knockout wine from Pahlmeyer. The 2011 will drink well early but it has more than enough depth to drink well for a number of years. The blend is 76% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 2% Malbec. In 2011, the Merlot came from hillside parcels only.

The 2011 Merlot delivers lots of hedonistic joy in spite of the vintage’s challenging conditions. A dense ruby/purple color is followed by plenty of mocha and black cherry fruit offered in a medium-bodied wine with outstanding finesse and purity. While not the blockbuster that some vintages can be, it is well-endowed, rich and noteworthy. Tel. (707) 255-2321

(blended with 22% cabernet sauvignon and 2% malbec): Full red-ruby. Candied blackberry, licorice, lead pencil and a faint herbal note on the nose. Juicy, spicy and precise, offering good sweetness to its dark fruit flavors. Perhaps not as stuffed with material as the 2010 but this is fresher and more focused. Finishes firm and persistent. Winemaker Kale Anderson noted that this fruit was all picked after the rains (until November 2) but that the hillside sites fared well in 2011. The merlot got very ripe, he added.