Our Wines: Merlot

2005 Persimmon Creek Merlot

Vineyard: To achieve classic Merlot qualities – full, textured body, soft tannin, and generous, coffee-spiced berry aromas and flavors – we planted our vines in the warmest, steepest part of the vineyard. The westward facing slope captures maximum sunlight, and vertically trellised vines are planted in well drained, rocky soil along the natural contours of the hill. This high elevation site (topping 2,100 ft.) also enjoys good air circulation and wind exposure, giving a distinct advantage against frost during the crucial period of early spring bud break, and allowing the typically loose clustered, thin skinned grapes of the Merlot to ripen free of bunch rot, concentrating on production of the round structure and sweet fruit extract for which the variety is known and loved.

Winemaking: Appellation: Georgia
Dr. William Hardman, vigneron
Blend:100% Estate Grown & Bottled Merlot
Alcohol: 13%
Cases: 200 unfiltered

Tasting Notes: Medium ruby red hue, and multifaceted aromas exuding red berry, black cherry, and smoky oak suggesting dark roast coffee spices. Medium-full bodied on the palate, giving sweet berry and red licorice flavors at the tip as it enters the palate; becoming fuller in the mid-palate, the fruit and oak qualities supported by generous but soft, pliant tannins. Finishing with a round, finely polished ease of fruit and spiced oak flavors.

Hilltop Merlot

Everyone enjoys a good Merlot; and to optimize maturation towards the full body, soft tannin and dark, coffee-spiced berry flavors of the grape, we planted our Merlot vines in the warmest, steepest part of the vineyard – westward facing to achieve maximum sunlight exposure – atop well drained, rocky soils, in gently curved rows along the natural contours of the hill.

This higher slope also sees more wind exposure than in the rest of the vineyards; giving a distinct advantage in the way of a natural frost protection during the crucial period of bud break in early spring. Merlot clusters are also fairly loose, its berries famously thinner in skin than the Cabernet varieties, and so the hillside exposure and air circulation of this particular block allow our vines to resist bunch rot and concentrate their individual photosynthesizing factories on production of the round structure and lush flavor for which Merlot is known.

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