Vitus Wines
2007 Merlot
Merlot
California: Napa Valley
Mission Briefing
Catch me if you can
2007 Vintage Alert: Today’s wine hails from the 96 Point 2007 vintage. Northern California wines from this vintage are highly prized - and increasingly difficult to find. If you love great Merlot, today’s wine is one to stock up on.
A serious, elegant and delicious wine, today’s 2007 Vitus Napa Valley Merlot is a truly exemplary example of the varietal.
This wine is a delicious solo-sipper but, like most great Merlot, it really shines when enjoyed with a hearty meal. The winery declares this wine to be a ‘Cabernet Lover’s Merlot’ - and we concur. Do you concur?
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Dark and rich with deep hues of the darkest ruby red. Even coloration from heart to edge. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | Shy at first, this wine really wakes up after some decanting or hearty spinning in the glass. As it breathes, it begins to open up, revealing dark mixed berry compote, sweet tobacco leaf and blueberry. Sweet oak and cedar feature prominently throughout. |
| Taste: | Flavors lead off with bold mixed berries, plum, sweet spice, chocolate-covered blueberry, Irish Breakfast tea, toasty oak and a hint of slate mineral. |
| Finish: | Textured and very long lasting, with bold dark fruits that gradually give way to tobacco, tea and slate at the very end. |
| Pairing: | Enjoy this wine with your favorite grilled steak, prepared absolutely any way you like it! This wine would go with nearly any preparation of red meat. |
What the Winery Says
2007 Vitus Merlot
- Tasting Notes
- The Merlot is from a 3-acre hillside vineyard on Olive Hill Road in Napa. Yielding less than 3 tons per acre, this wine has a rich extracted style with dark plum and spicey accents and enough structure to satisfy faithful cab drinkers.
- ABV
- 14.8%
About the Winery
We started Vitus with the intention of creating great wine for great Entertainers. We wanted wine worthy of Celebration.
We drew our name from the Christian Saint, Vitus, who is known as the patron of Entertainers and Celebration. Vitus symbolizes good fortune, great wine and a gladdened heart. Every year on June 15th, the Feast of Saint Vitus commences to celebrate the martyrdom of the patron Saint Vitus and his followers.
The Vitus name also mirrors a word any wine lover should know: Viticulture - the the science, production, and study of grapes. Vitus started as a passion project by the Hearn Family and winemaker John Gilpin, who has a true knack for bringing out amazing flavor from some of the best wine grapes in the country.
Winemaker John Gilpin
John graduated from the University of Oregon with a BS degree in 1981. He went directly to work for Willamette Valley Vineyard Service in the summer of 1981, where he worked for the proprietor, Mark Benoit, in the vineyards for 5 years. He worked every harvest for Fred and Mary Benoit from 1981 to 1986 at their winery, Chateau Benoit.