Old Vine Merlot

The Vintage

2002 was particularly warm with an extended Indian summer, allowing the fruit here in the Great Yakima Valley to develop deep, ripe fruit flavors. Better estates were rewarded with superb fruit, especially those who focus special attention on growing quality fruit, by keeping crop levels low and monitoring water to control growth and vigor of the vines.

The Vineyard

This wine was produced solely from the old vine Merlot block S9 at Kestrel View Estate Vineyard. These vines were planted in 1972, making them some of the oldest vines in the state. Fortunately, not only are these vines old, they were also planted in one of the best growing regions in the Yakima Valley. The Kestrel View Estate Vineyard is located high up on the Roza, north of Prosser. The silt loam soils that were deposited over solid basalt by the great Missoula floods in the last ice age coupled with the particular climate of our region created one of the most unique and fantastic growing regions in the world.

The Winemaking

The grapes were hand picked in October at the peak of their maturity. They were brought to the winery, hand sorted, crushed and de-stemmed into small open top fermenters, where they were punched down twice daily. After the initial fermentation the wine was pressed to small French Oak barrels where it matured for the next 20 months. Prior to bottling the finest barrels were selected, and only this wine was bottled as Old Vine Merlot.

The Wine

The color is a deep violet. The aroma shows copious amounts of holiday spices like nutmeg, cloves, anise with a hint of earthiness. On the fruity side I find blackberries, plums and dried figs. A bright acidity will allow this wonderful wine with a velvety texture to age for years.