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The 2013 Harris Vineyard Merlot opens with soft plum, char and earth aromas. Rich and round, the palate shows beautiful depth, with juicy berry and plum flavors layered with dried herb, sage and well-integrated oak. The firm, coating texture builds upon entry into the midpalate, while ripe fruit flavors linger on the finish.
Bale soil series from Harris Vineyard
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Oakville, Napa Valley
1991 and 1995
Merlot
Merlot Clone 1 and the Bear Flat clone, planted on 5C rootstock
6 acres
Quadrilateral trellis system
This vineyard is planted on a large alluvial fan that extends from the Mayacamas Mountains, across the Branding Iron Vineyard, into Harris Vineyard, and reaches all the way to the western edge of the Rock Cairn Vineyard. The vineyard’s Bale soil series are developed on alluvial fans and flood plains, while the Clear Lake soil series are found on old alluvial fans derived from sedimentary rock. Both soil series can be found in this vineyard, giving it a gravelly clay loam.
Harris Vineyard is located in western Oakville, just east of the Branding Iron Vineyard. Nickel & Nickel’s six acres are comprised of two blocks that offer a southern exposure and soil of gravelly clay loam. Thinning passes allow each cluster to hang freely, optimizing the trellis system, and taking advantage of the warm climate to reach full maturity.
September 25, 2013
100% Merlot
10 days
17 months in French oak
March 2016
2000
“Early, even, and excellent” are words used by the Napa Valley Vintners to describe this harvest. The 2013 harvest was similar to 2012 with warm days and cool, foggy nights, which offered perfect conditions for fruit and tannin maturity. Crop loads were small, yielding half of what we normally produce. Bloom and veraison occurred around the same time last year and the vines quickly ripened the fruit. The ideal weather in September and the smaller crop load led to an early harvest at this location.