The 2004 vintage was characterized by a very warm spring with temperatures on many days reaching into the 80’s and 90’s. We had almost 100% bud break by the end of March, and then high temperatures again in late April and early May. Summer saw a return to rather normal temperatures, but the characteristic 100 degree days in early September and again at the end of the month. We had unexpected rain in October for 3 days and then a break between storms. We picked all of the Merlot on October 25th, fast and furious, and took in 4.7 tons with a 23.7 brix, 3.5 pH, and .52 TA.

Given a very limited production, the Carhartt wine-making process is a low-tech, hands-on approach. This year's fruit was hand harvested, sorted, gently de-stemmed, and cold-soaked for five days prior to fermentation. During fermentation in small open-top bins, the cap was punched down three times a day. This was done in combination with rack and return, allowing for maximum skin to juice contact, color extraction, and flavor concentration. After fermentation, the grapes were basket pressed and transferred to French oak barrels, of which 50% were new, and then aged for 20 months. The wine is un-filtered and un-fined and the 2004 vintage was 300 cases.

The 2004 Merlot is an opulent, full bodied wine with a dark rich color and beautiful mouthfeel. On the nose are toasted oak, dark berry and spice. The flavor profile consists of spicy currants, blackberry, plum, mocha, and hazelnut. The wine has great structure with smooth tannins and a long finish. We recommend decanting the wine before drinking it in order to fully appreciate its depth.

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$30 per bottle