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Novy Family Wines Current Releases - 2000
Alder Springs Vineyard Merlot
Merlot? We're as shocked as you are and we made the wine!
We have a fairly simple reason for buying Merlot grapes-we wanted
Syrah. Alder Springs Vineyard in northern Mendocino County is known
as an outstanding Syrah source. We were hoping to acquire some of
these grapes but it turns out that nothing was immediately available.
However, to "keep our place in line" for Syrah we agreed
to purchase a small amount of other grapes. Fortunately, it turns
out that Alder Springs Vineyard is also a remarkable Merlot vineyard.
In fact, one highly acclaimed Napa Valley winery has made a bit
of a name for Alder Springs Merlot with ratings in the 90's from
wine writers Robert Parker and Steven Tanzer. So, really it wasn't
too difficult of a decision to make a bit of Merlot.
The Merlot grapes at Alder Springs Vineyard are grown on the side
of a very steep hill (mountain? - it is big). The vines struggle
to ripen their crop and produce only a tiny amount of fruit. Both
the clusters and berries are tiny with thick skins leading to unusually
dark and concentrated wines. In 2000 the yields were less than 1
ton per acre. We harvested the vineyard twice, on October 9 and
October 11, gleaning only 1.396 tons in total.
With such a small amount of fruit we had to ferment the wine in
1/2-ton bins. These bins produce cooler fermentations and thus produce
particularly aromatic wines. After a cold soak we added a cultured
yeast that was isolated from Bordeaux and punched down twice a day
during fermentation. Upon the conclusion of fermentation we pressed
the wine directly to new, French oak barrels. These barrels are
somewhat special in that they are called "Haut-Brion barrels"
and are designed to the specifications of that Graves estate. The
wine remained in these barrels until bottling by hand, unfined and
unfiltered, at the end of January.
When tasting the 2000 Novy Alder Springs Vineyard Merlot you are
immediately struck by its remarkable aroma. Heady, perfumed violet
scents fill the glass and lift the entire wine. In the mouth the
wine shows tons of forward red and black fruits mixing with a vanilla
crème character which comes from the oak. On the finish some
darker flavors emerge including hints of earth and minerals with
enough tannins to stand up to some heartier foods. A truly remarkable
wine produced in a tiny quantity.
CASE PRODUCTION: 48 cases
RETAIL PRICE: $29 per bottle
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