1999
Paul Hobbs Merlot, Michael Black Vineyard Napa Valley
Winemaker's Notes
Deep red/purple color. The scents of black fruits and cherry mingle with anise on the nose. Flavors of black cherry, dark chocolate, black pepper, and graphite exude from a dense core just starting to reveal the full depth of the wine's character. This is a supple, voluptuous, harmonious wine filled with flavors that persist long after it is swallowed. Alcohol 14.5%
Vineyard
Owner/Manager
Michael Black
Vineyard
Michael Black Vineyard
Appellation
Napa Valley
Clones
Curtiss
Vineyard Age
13 years
Site
In the Coombsville area east of the town of Napa. A southeast exposure on a hillside with rocky, volcanic soils.
Yield
Less than 2 tons/acre
Harvest
Harvest Date
October 13, 1999
Harvest Brix
25.9°
Growing Season
The cool summer months in the southeastern corner of Napa Valley were ideal conditions to develop intense flavors and complexity in the grapes. The warm Indian summer weather in October fully ripened the fruit to produce some of the best wines of the decade.
Winemaking
Hand harvested grapes
Fermented in an open-top stainless steel fermentors
5-day cold maceration, 21 days total maceration
Fermentation with indigenous yeast
18-months in French oak barrels, 65% new
Unblended, unfined, unfiltered; bottled April, 2001
