2009 Sebastiani Merlot, Alexander Valley
| Vintage: | 2009 |
| Wine Type: | Red Wine |
| Varietal: | Merlot |
| Varietal Composition: | |
| 79% | Merlot |
| 17% | Cabernet Sauvignon |
| 4% | Petit Verdot |
| Appellation: | Alexander Valley |
| Harvest Date: | 2009 |
| PH: | 3.68 |
| Barrel Aging: | |
| 11 Months | |
| 100% | New and one-yr-old French and Hungarian Oak |
| Bottling Date: | Jan 2011 |
| Tannin: | 0.53 g/100ml |
| Alcohol %: | 14.1 |
| Vineyard Notes: | Most of our Alexander Valley Merlot came from two exceptional blocks at the Lyon Vineyard in Northern Alexander Valley. The first features Clone #3 planted on well-draining, gravelly, alluvial soils that help limit vigor and emphasize fruit concentration. The other block has Clone #181 planted on rocky soils washed down from the hills. We also used 9% Merlot from nearby Rancho Miguel. The Cabernet portion was from the finest blocks at Lyon planted in extreme, gravelly soils. A small percentage of Petit Verdot came from a vineyard in nearby Ukiah. |
| Production Notes: | 2009 opened late thanks to cool temperatures and moderate winter rains. The set was even with higher potential crop levels than normal. Veraison was two weeks later than normal. The summer was mild with cool temperatures and fog in August. Crop thinning helped reduce cluster sizes and counts. Indian Summer arrived in September triggering the irrigation to help synchronize physiological maturity and sugar accumulation. Harvest began on October 1st.
The grapes were crushed and de-stemmed followed by a three-day cold soak. Fermentation was warm, especially mid-Brix to extract more color and riper tannins. We pressed off slightly sweet to minimize astringency. All lots were transferred into new and one-year-old, thin-stave Hungarian and Saury French Oak barrels. The first assemblage happened in early Spring, 2010 to help with color stability and to build more structure and body. We racked in December and did an egg white fining to reduce barrel tannins. The wine was promptly bottled in late January, 2011. |
| Winemaker Notes: | Our 2009 has all the signature attributes of Alexander Valley Merlot including black tea, dried herbs, black cherries and wild berries. It is ripe without being over-ripe. The new oak barrels add notes of espresso and mocha to the nose plus sweet vanilla to the palate. The cool temperatures throughout the growing season created a wine that is sleek, restrained and understated. ~ Mark R. Lyon, Winemaker |
| Production: | 1250 Cases |
Vineyard Notes:
Most of our Alexander Valley Merlot came from two exceptional blocks at the Lyon Vineyard in Northern Alexander Valley. The first features Clone #3 planted on well-draining, gravelly, alluvial soils that help limit vigor and emphasize fruit concentration. The other block has Clone #181 planted on rocky soils washed down from the hills. We also used 9% Merlot from nearby Rancho Miguel. The Cabernet portion was from the finest blocks at Lyon planted in extreme, gravelly soils. A small percentage of Petit Verdot came from a vineyard in nearby Ukiah.
Production Notes:
2009 opened late thanks to cool temperatures and moderate winter rains. The set was even with higher potential crop levels than normal. Veraison was two weeks later than normal. The summer was mild with cool temperatures and fog in August. Crop thinning helped reduce cluster sizes and counts. Indian Summer arrived in September triggering the irrigation to help synchronize physiological maturity and sugar accumulation. Harvest began on October 1st.
The grapes were crushed and de-stemmed followed by a three-day cold soak. Fermentation was warm, especially mid-Brix to extract more color and riper tannins. We pressed off slightly sweet to minimize astringency. All lots were transferred into new and one-year-old, thin-stave Hungarian and Saury French Oak barrels. The first assemblage happened in early Spring, 2010 to help with color stability and to build more structure and body. We racked in December and did an egg white fining to reduce barrel tannins. The wine was promptly bottled in late January, 2011.
Winemaker Notes:
Our 2009 has all the signature attributes of Alexander Valley Merlot including black tea, dried herbs, black cherries and wild berries. It is ripe without being over-ripe. The new oak barrels add notes of espresso and mocha to the nose plus sweet vanilla to the palate. The cool temperatures throughout the growing season created a wine that is sleek, restrained and understated. ~ Mark R. Lyon, Winemaker
Production:
1250 Cases
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