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Family Reserve Merlot 2004

Winemakers Notes:

Family Reserve Merlot is made with fruit grown exclusively at Quails’ Gate’s estate vineyard.  Our site is located on the slopes of Mount Boucherie with our vineyards sprawling down to Lake Okanagan.  This location provides us with good reflected heat from the lake, giving excellent ripeness to the grapes.  In 2004 the growing season was typical of this region, with a long, hot summer, ending with a warm autumn and the Merlot harvest in late October.  Fermentation was done with indigenous yeasts in both opened and closed top five ton tanks.  Extended skin contact and hand plunging give the wine a rich texture and great aging potential.  Once fermentation is complete, barrel maturation takes place over an 18 month period in French oak barrels.  We recommend cellaring this wine for at least a year and decanting once opened.

Tasting Notes:

This wine shows classic plummy characteristics with fine ripe tannins providing a velvety texture and substantial palate weight.  There is a savoury edge which enriches the old world complexity, and spicy cigar box notes help complete the package.  This is a big wine for big food!  Our merlot makes an excellent match to venison or beef, we recommend venison tenderloin wrapped with wild boar bacon.

Awards & Accolades

Bronze Medal – Okanagan Fall Wine Festival 2006
Silver Medal – Canadian Wine Awards 2006

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Technical Information

Varietal Blend:
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100% Merlot
14.5%
6.3 g/l
1 g/l
0
638155
778856204230
May 2006
New Release
1100 CASES (6 packs)
$39.99