“Forget everything you’ve ever been told about the softness and approachability of Merlot.” – WRO

Also forget whatever you have going on at this moment.

Because…OMG! LA JOTA, BABY!!!

A benchmark since 1982. And not only that, but also our first ever feature from this iconic Howell Mountain jewel on Wine Spies…

Can you believe that?! 94, 95, and 96 points and described as “a beast of a wine” but with some age it’s now a beauty. At 50% OFF this library selection Merlot falls square in the sights of anyone hunting for a collectible value.

Made by the talented Chris Carpenter (Lokoya, Cardinale, Mt. Brave…), our price is HALF what this costs direct from the winery library. Which is exactly where we found it. Thanks to the Howell Mountain terroir, it’s just beginning to creep into a perfect drinking window. If you’ve had La Jota, you know what to expect - the same full-throttle style, towering structure, and overall neuron-blasting enjoyment factor.

Chris has been making great wines for years now, and they always come stacked with 95+ scores from the critics. If you want to learn more about him, here’s a great read.

A recent Robb Report highlighting the first 100-point La Jota Merlot writes, “Carpenter agrees with the oft-quoted claim that great wine begins in the vineyard. W.S. Keyes Vineyard’s optimal light and low-yielding soils make it ideal for Merlot… ‘It’s a variety with exceptional complexity, with its own set of flavors that are different from Cabernet Sauvignon - flavors I believe are worth exploring. It also ages well, and differently,’ he says.”

Per Forbes “When Chris Carpenter talks about Merlot, he’s talking about densely structured wines layered with fruit, freshness and complexity - not the insipid plonk from a decade ago… the La Jota Howell Mountain Merlot is all spices, dark cherries, structure, and sensuousness.”

Leaping out of the glass, this 2015 is in a perfect drinking window now. We fought over who takes the rest of the bottle home! Jammed with juicy red berries, sweet spices, and violets. A sleek, opulent Merlot, with tremendous length, complexity, and definition. While at peak now, those fine mountain tannins assure another decade of immensely pleasurable sipping ahead. Buy as many as you can to experience its further evolution.

This is hands down one of - maybe THE best domestic Merlot we’ve tasted in years. In a league of its own.

We don’t see half-priced library releases by legendary names often, carpe diem!

96 Points – Wine Review Online “Forget everything you’ve ever been told about the softness and approachability of Merlot. La Jota’s 2015 Howell Mountain Merlot is a beast of a wine that delivers layers of ripe blue fruits, chewy tannins, and the heft of a Napa Valley Cabernet. This vintage shows notes of wood spice, graphite, and cedar, with impressive heft and length. It’s built for the long haul and would benefit from additional cellar time.”

95 Points – Owen Bargreen “The 2015 La Jota Merlot was aged in 72% new French oak for 22 months before bottling. Legendary winemaker, Chris Carpenter, has blended in 10% Petit Verdot to this Merlot. The nose shows very pretty tones with red cherry, lavender, with toasty oak, and black raspberry cordial. The palate shows a brilliant minerality and seriously good weight, invoking black tea, milk chocolate, black cherry pie and lighter tones of sage. This is downright delicious now but really needs two more years to fully come together.”

94 Points – Wine Advocate “Composed of 90% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot, the 2015 Merlot Howell Mountain sports a deep garnet-purple color and nose of pure blackberry, black cherries, and black plums with touches of garrigue, menthol and baking spices, with a waft of violets. Full-bodied, rich and packed with generous black fruits framed by velvety tannins and great freshness, it finishes long and spicy. Drink 2017-2034.”