2022 Merlot

2022 Merlot

Year:                     2022

Varietals:               100% Merlot

Appellation:            Walla Walla Valley

Vineyard:               Pepper Bridge Vineyard

Winemaker:            Dave Stephenson

Alcohol:                  14.4%

Date bottled:          September 2024

Price:                     $43

Production:            168 cases
 

The 2022 Merlot smells like forging a trail to the beaches of Vashon Island after an early summer rain. There are the bright, fruity salmon berries you pop in your mouth, but there is also the bramble branch of that berry bush which snaps as you trudge forward. There is cedar, pinon, and that fancy lemon verbena soap my mom used to use. It manages to be simultaneously lovely, clean, and bright, while also rich, and earthy.

As the wine opens in the glass, there’s a fun, funky note going on, almost like a mild and creamy blue cheese, mellowed out with fig jam all atop a nutty buckwheat cracker.

Soft and velvety in the mouth, you get more fig, more berry, and more bramble branches snapping. The mouthfeel is so full and rich, but also with nice soft tannins in there making this a super fun wine to pair with so many things. Five-spice crusted tenderloins with just the right amount of char from the grill. Or parmesan laden creamy polenta with thyme roasted mushrooms. Or a roasted beet salad with chervil, and fresh goat cheese.

Or maybe you take it on a walk in the woods, down your favorite trail, to your favorite hidden beach.