Tasting Notes
VINEYARDS
Our Merlot is grown in estate-owned and grower-partner vineyards on the Napa side of Carneros, where the clay soils are similar to those of Bordeaux’s Right Bank. The cool climate allows the thin-skinned grapes to gradually develop flavor and tannin while retaining natural acidity.
WINEGROWING
A wet winter with moderate rainfall, a mild spring and a warm summer created the ideal growing season. Very warm weather at the beginning of harvest accelerated the need to pick early on in the season. Sustainable farming practices throughout the growing season were tailored to each block with the assistance of aerial photos produced using NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) technology. The fruit was hand-picked at night and sorted in the vineyard.
WINEMAKING
The grapes were carefully destemmed and optically sorted to ensure only perfect fruit made it into the wine. A cold soak extracted color and flavor. About 25% of the wine was barrel-fermented to provide a richer, more textured palate. The wine was gently basket-pressed before being racked to French oak barrels for aging.
TASTING NOTES
Aromas of fresh, ripe blueberries, ripe plum and black currant intertwine with notes of cedar, vanilla and pie crust. This medium bodied wine is plush with flavors of plums, blueberries and figs upfront, leading to juicy red fruit on the midpalate. Delicious now, its depth and structure provide long cellaring potential.
FOOD PAIRINGS – Seared Pork Chops with Mustard Green Chimichurri, Beef Braciole or Pate de Campagne.
About Rombauer Vineyard
When founders Koerner and Joan Rombauer moved their two children, two horses and five dogs to Napa Valley in 1972, they arrived armed with an appreciation for the intimate relationship between food and wine. Their appreciation stemmed from Koerner’s great aunt Irma Rombauer having authored internationally renowned cookbook the Joy of Cooking and his ancestors originating from the winegrowing region of Rheingau, Germany, where wine is considered an essential complement to a meal.
Appreciation bred passion, and Rombauer Vineyards was established in 1980. Forty years later, the winery remains owned by second- and third-generation members of the family.
We invite you to take a trip through some highlights of the history of Rombauer Vineyards, a story still very much in progress!
