St. Francis Merlot

”Joe Martin was the first grower to plant Merlot in Sonoma Valley. Merlot thrives in this picturesque valley where warm days are cooled by evening breezes and fog from the Pacific Ocean. The grapes in Sonoma Valley Merlot come from our Estate Behler and Wild Oak vineyards as well as from top growers throughout the area. Each carefully selected vineyard contributes distinctive and individual qualities to the finished wine. The grapes are gently de-stemmed and crushed before cold soaking for three days to extract optimal color and flavor. The fruit is inoculated with several different yeast strains to build complexity and fermented in separate lots. Secondary malolactic fermentation occurs in 100% French oak barrels. 18% new. HARVEST NOTE High quality outstanding fruit characteristics and generous yields describe the 2013 harvest. Harvest started slightly earlier than previous years after an ideal growing season that provided optimum temperatures for grapes to ripen. We had a wealt