Schug Carneros Estate
2006 Heritage Reserve Merlot
Merlot
California: Carneros - Los Carneros (Napa)
Mission Briefing
Phormer Phelps Phenom
This wine caused a sensation at our most recent Wine Spies tasting panel. Very highly recommended, today’s wonderful Merlot is really a perfect holiday wine.
Rich, juicy, elegant and evolved, this wine is perfectly balanced and perfectly aged making it a ready-to-drink sensation that will please any who have the good fortune to drink it. At today’s very special price this wine is impossible to resist.
Very food friendly, pair this wine with a roast duck with cherry sauce or veggie kabobs with green pepper, mushrooms, onions and pineapple. Enjoy this wine now, but be sure to cellar a few bottles for the next few years.
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Dark crimson at the core, transitioning a band of brickish color. At the very edge of the glass, a very fine ring of pink encircles the glass. |
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| Smell: | Bold, lush aromas leap from the glass, even before lifting it to the nose. The wine exudes complex, warm, and rich aromas of spice, stewed winter holiday fruit, leather, cinnamon, and a hint of dark chocolate. |
| Taste: | Youthful and bright, this concentrated wine leads with blueberry and underripe plum. With time to breathe, the wine offers up additional flavors of leather, tobacco and a subtle hint of black pepper. |
| Finish: | Ultra-long and lingering finish with flavors of dried cherry and dried blueberry. Residual flavors cover the palate just before a gradually spreading dryness spreads to the lips and cheeks. |
| Pairing: |
What the Winery Says
WINEMAKER’S NOTES
Our Heritage Reserve Merlot is blended in the Bordeaux tradition using Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon for maximum complexity. The Merlot is sourced from the cool Carneros region, where the extremely long growing season allows this varietal to ripen slowly, developing maximum varietal character and depth of flavor while retaining bright acidity. It has a spicy bouquet of lavender and mint, rich deep color and full-bodied.
Wine Specs
BLEND: 91% Merlot (Sangiacomo, Ricci, and Rancho Salina Vineyards) 3% Cabernet Franc (Rancho Salina Vineyards) 5% Cabernet Sauvignon (Rancho Salina and Atwood Vineyards) 1% Malbec (Rancho Salina Vineyard)
APPELLATION: 86% Carneros; 14% Sonoma Valley
AGING / COOPERAGE: 22% aged in new French oak barrels 6% aged in new American oak barrels 72% aged in 1 to 4 year old French and American oak barrels
ALCOHOL: 13.5% by volume
ACIDITY: TA = 0.59 g/100ml; pH = 3.49
PRODUCTION: 447 cases
About the Winery
Founded in 1980, Schug Carneros Estate Winery is the showcase and life-long dream of one of California’s most celebrated winemakers. Walter Schug’s reputation blossomed during his tenure as Founding Winemaker for Joseph Phelps Vineyards in the 1970s, where he made California’s first proprietary Bordeaux-Style blend (Insignia) and legendary vineyard designated Cabernets (Bacchus and Eisele Vineyards).
Drawing on his long experience in the production of fine wines in both Europe and California, Walter set up his own winery in the cool, marine climate of the Carneros Appellation.
Schug Carneros Estate Winery combines old world understanding and tradition with modern winemaking techniques. By using only the finest grapes available, and maintaining the best winemaking values, these wines have gained acceptance worldwide as true contemporary classics.
Winemaker Michael Cox
A Northern California native, Winemaker Michael Cox grew up in Sonoma and spent time in both the Sonoma and Napa wine producing regions as a student. Mike first attended UCLA studying chemical engineering and working in a wine cellar during the summer. It was then that his love for wine surfaced and took him down another road. In order to become a member of the wine industry, he transferred to the U.C. Davis campus and graduated with a degree in Enology in 1991.
Mike also took advantage of coming home from school each summer to work at Sonoma area wineries. He worked his way up through the cellars of two prestigious wineries, Hacienda and Dry Creek Vineyards, during and after he finished school. His first full Winemaker position was at DeMoor Winery in 1992.
Mike likes to work closely with growers and prefers small production vineyards that contribute unique qualities to his blends. The Carneros grapes Mike works with at Schug offer unrivaled wine-making opportunities due to their unique diversity and complex, well-developed flavor characteristics.
As Winemaker, an important member of the Schug family team, Mike works closely with Winemaster Walter Schug. Together their winemaking talents create the premium Carneros and Sonoma wines with the European flair that Schug is famous for.