Name: Lava Cap Merlot el Dorado 2023 750ml
Brand: Lava Cap
SKU: 1036650
Price: 23.44 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 92 (2 reviews)

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Winery Lava Cap

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Varietal Merlot

With its dark blue colored fruits and high juice content, Merlot varietal grapes have long been a favorite of wine producers around the globe, with it being found in vineyards across Europe, the Americas and elsewhere in the New World. One of the distinguishing features of Merlot grapes is the fact that they have a relatively low tannin content and an exceptionally soft and fleshy character, meaning they are capable of producing incredibly rounded and mellow wines. This mellowness is balanced with plenty of flavor, however, and has made Merlot grapes the varietal of choice for softening other, more astringent and tannin-heavy wines, often resulting in truly exceptional produce. Merlot is regarded as one of the key 'Bordeaux' varietals for precisely this reason; when combined with the drier Cabernet Sauvignon, it is capable of blending beautifully to produce some of the finest wines available in the world.

Country United States

Of all the New World wine countries, perhaps the one which has demonstrated the most flair for producing high quality wines - using a combination of traditional and forward-thinking contemporary methods - has been the United States of America. For the past couple of centuries, the United States has set about transforming much of its suitable land into vast vineyards, capable of supporting a wide variety of world-class grape varietals which thrive on both the Atlantic and the Pacific coastlines. Of course, we immediately think of sun-drenched California in regards to American wines, with its enormous vineyards responsible for the New World's finest examples of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot based wines, but many other states have taken to viticulture in a big way, with impressive results. Oregon, Washington State and New York have all developed sophisticated and technologically advanced wine cultures of their own, and the output of U.S wineries is increasing each year as more and more people are converted to their produce.

Region California

California as a wine producing region has grown in size and importance considerably over the past couple of centuries, and today is the proud producer of more than ninety percent of the United States' wines. Indeed, if California was a country, it would be the fourth largest producer of wine in the world, with a vast range of vineyards covering almost half a million acres. The secret to California's success as a wine region has a lot to do with the high quality of its soils, and the fact that it has an extensive Pacific coastline which perfectly tempers the blazing sunshine it experiences all year round. The winds coming off the ocean cool the vines, and the natural valleys and mountainsides which make up most of the state's wine regions make for ideal areas in which to cultivate a variety of high quality grapes.

Appellation Sierra Foothills

JS 92pts

James Suckling

A bold and super-concentrated wine that’s well balanced despite its ripeness. It’s mouthwatering, with raspberry-like acidity and low tannins. It’s fresh and linear, with vivid red cherry, raspberry and blackberry flavors on a full body. Drink now.

WE 92pts

Wine Enthusiast

Opulent and rich with aromatics of ripe Bing cherry, boysenberry, dried cranberry, and notes of orange marmalade, potpourri, and vanilla on the nose, the flavors on the palate are red currant coulis, raspberry jam, dried coriander, black olive, baking spice and layers of mineral throughout the fruit. This is an excellent example of Merlot as another alternative to Cabernet Sauvignon.

Winery Notes

Dark fruit dominates the nose. One of our darkest red wines, flavors of plum, blackberry jam, clove, cedar, and menthol are on nose. On the palate, a smooth finish, framed by well-integrated tannins, and bright acidity.