Northstar - Walla Walla Valley Merlot 2000

Tasting Note
Cherry is the predominant flavor in this wine, which is complemented with a nice oak finish. Jammy, balanced and elegant. A luscious wine with structure and a ruby red color.
Merlot Vintage
Overall, the growing season had moderate temperatures and almost no rainfall, providing excellent conditions for the grapes to ripen to maturity. The month of August saw the onset of a prolonged period of warm, cloud free, sunny weather and low nighttime temperatures. A late-September cold front slowed down the ripening process and allowed grapes extended time on the vine. Result: at harvest fruit had intense flavors, abundant sugar and moderate balancing acidity. Winemakers characterize the 2000 harvest as exceptional for both quality and quantity.
Vineyards
This is our first vintage for a Walla Walla blend, and expresses our interpretation of Walla Walla vineyards and the appellation. Winemakers selected Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from the best vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley. Spring Valley Vineyards have loamy soils and are planted on a steep Southfacing slope, allowing vines to absorb more of the sun’s energy. Fruit adds structure, dark color, aroma and flavor to the blend. Planted in 1995, Vanessa Vineyards typifies the Walla Walla Valley. Fruit provides finesse and elegance to the blend, and softness of palate with refined tannins. Windrow Vineyard produces fruit with small berries as a result of little to no added water through irrigation. The resulting fruit provides concentrated black cherry flavors, structure and complexity to the blend. The final blend consists of fruit from the vines of 5 different vineyard lots.
Winemaking
Ripe grapes were destemmed and crushed, leaving 25% whole berries intact, then inoculated with various strains of yeast, including Prise de Mousse and Fermirouge. All lots were fermented in 2.5 ton open top fermenters. The must was punched down 2-4 times per day to extract optimal flavor, tannin and color during the 5 -day fermentation on the skins. Free run juice was racked to barrels to finish primary fermentation. Aged for 19 months in French and American oak, using 80% new and 20% one-year-old barrels. Individual lots were racked every three months for clarity, with a total of 6 rackings.
Technical data
Total Acidity 0.45/100 ml pH 3.59 Alcohol 14.1% Bottling Date June 2002 Blend 76% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon

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