Wine Last Sold on: October 26, 2012
Hook & Ladder Vineyards and Winery
Featured Wine:
2009 Estate Bottled Merlot
| Varietal: | Merlot |
| Region: | California: Russian River Valley (Sonoma) |
| Availability: | Very Limited |
| Avg. Price: | $24.00 |
| Wine Spies: | $19.00 |
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SUPER QPR ALERT:
At today’s special Wine Spies price, this wine delivers tremendous value - and a drinking experience that exceeds expectations, easily earning it this special QPR (Quality to Price Ratio) Alert.
Mission Codename: The Roof Division
- Operative
- Agent Red
- Objective
- Revisit Hook & Ladder Vineyards and Winery to secure an exclusive allocation of their 2009 Russian River Valley Estate Merlot.
- Mission Status
- Accomplished!
- Winemaker
- Jason De Loach
Final Assessment
A wonderful, budget-friendly surprise, today’s 2009 Hook & Ladder Estate Bottled Merlot is a delightful wine that our tasting panel really enjoyed.
This flavor-filled Merlot has plenty of structure, but it is also very approachable and very food friendly. With a bright acidity, this wine is a very flexible companion for even the most complex pairings. We enjoyed ours with spicy Italian Sausage ravioli with a spicy Arrabbiata sauce. The acidity of the Merlot was the perfect palate cleanser, between bites.
Merlot is made for food, and today’s wine is an obvious, affordable choice for even your most complex dishes. That said, though, we have to say that this wine is also just as excellent all on its own.
Enjoy this delicious wine now, but be sure to cellar a few bottles for the next several years. It should continue to improve with proper aging.
Tasting Profile
Dark burgundy with a dense, darker core. The wine is perfectly clear and dark at its heart. Concentrated color is maintained, out to a fine maroon band at the edge of the glass. When swirled, skinny, wine-stained tears glide swiftly down down the glass.
Deep and really lush, with dark ripe fruit, spice and earth that jump from the glass. Ripe blackberry, red currant, earthy black cherry, dried violets and plum are layered over subtle, sweet brown spice, softly toasted oak, subtle mushroom and hard blackberry candy.
Soft and cool on the attack, the wine glides across the entire palate, leaving a flinty coating. Plush, fine-grained tannins and a bright acidity support the delicious fruits and spice long into the lingering finish.
Ripe and flavorful, this dark wine delivers wave of black fruit, spice, minerals and burnt sugar. Concentrated black cherry, blackberry and stewed black plum lead the way. These are followed by Bing red cherry, black tea, sweet spice, cigar box, subtle leather and a hint of pencil shavings (graphite and cedar).
Long and very flavorful, with black fruit giving way to red fruit, spice, and pencil shavings. As flavors dwindle, the palate and the cheeks take on a mineral-rich dryness that gradually spreads throughout the entire palate.
What the Winery Says
Our hand-picked Merlot is gently de-stemmed and crushed to both closed and open-top fermentors. When the color, flavors and tannins are fully extracted from the skins, the wine is aged for a minimum of 17 months in both European and American oak. This Merlot is combined with 5% Cabernet Sauvignon from our adjoining vineyards to bring added structure and complexity. A full mouth of blackberry and chocolate-raspberry with hints of spice, plum and tobacco lead to a lingering black cherry finish.
Wine Specs
Cases Produced: 914
Alcohol 14.5%
pH 3.28
TA .67
Paring Suggestions
Leg of lamb or any pasta with a tomato sauce.
About the Winery
GROWERS FIRST
In 1970, San Francisco firefighter Cecil De Loach and his wife Christine
staked their claim in the wine grape business by purchasing 24 acres of old-vine Zinfandel in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. In the early seventies, the De Loaches decided to acquire additional vineyard land.
For several years they watched others make notable wine from their grapes before making the decision to produce wine under the De Loach label in 1975.
More than three decades later, Cecil and Christine sold that label and have continued their winemaking skills at the helm of a small family winery that employs a simple philosophy - craft exceptional wines, from the highest quality grapes, that people love to drink.
We consider each step of the winemaking process an opportunity to showcase the distinctive flavors contained within our carefully cultivated grapes. Every bottle of wine is a worthy representation of the best effort from each and every person at Hook and Ladder Vineyards and Winery.
OUR VINEYARDS TODAY
On 375 acres situated in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley, our vineyards produce cool climate grapes widely recognized as some of the finest in the world. Grape growers of the early 1900’s recognized the sites of our vineyards as being uniquely suited for wine grape growing. Building on their knowledge and experience, we have matched the soil and climate of each parcel with the varietals most likely to achieve its full potential.
