Januik Merlot 2021, Columbia Valley, Washington

Vintage : Winemakers and growers will remember the 2021 vintage for the outstanding quality of its grapes that produced wines with balance and concentration. The year was marked by low yields, and the wines were deeply colored, flavorful, and loaded with texture. 2021 Vintage – 91% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc. This highly textured, medium-bodied Merlot reveals layers of dark raspberry, ripe cherry and cocoa notes in the nose that translate into fleshy black fruit and chocolate flavors in the mouth. Brimming with a tremendous amount of texture and length, this wine should age gracefully for a minimum of 12-15 years. Our Columbia Valley Merlot includes grapes from Quintessence, Obelisco, Weinbau and Klipsun vineyards. The diversity of these well managed vineyards provides for a full range of fruit expression, which allows us to craft complex, multi-layered wine true to Columbia Valley terroir as well as the varietal character of the grapes. Winemaking: WINEMAKING After destemming and crushing, grapes were fermented on their skins in small lots for an average time of 8 days. After being pressed off, each lot of wine was moved to an equal mix of new and once used French oak barrels for 20 months of barrel aging during which time the wine was racked every 6 months.