St. Francis Merlot

Rich and full-bodied with superb fruit depth and voluptuous, ripe berry flavors carrying into a long, lovely finish. The fruit is hand-harvested, brought to the winery and crushed into temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. When the tanks are two-thirds to three-quarters full, the must is inoculated with selected yeasts and yeast nutrient. Fermentation takes place at temperatures of up to 85° to 90°F over a period of eight to 15 days, and once fermentation is underway, the juice is pumped over the cap of skins three times daily for a half hour each to extract maximum color. 

 

The lots are racked into French and American oak barrels of up three years' age, of which 25 to 30 percent are new, and remain separate during the 19 to 20-month aging period. Depending on the vintage, origin of oak is in proportions of 20 to 40 percent French oak, which lends refined, toasty, vanilla notes; and 60 to 80 percent American oak, which contributes tannic structure and cedar and tobacco notes.