2014 Frog's Leap, Merlot, Rutherford, Napa Valley, California, USA
About this WINE
Frog's Leap
Frog's Leap Winery in Napa Valley, California was founded in 1981 on a spot along Mill Creels known as the Frog Farm. An old ledger revealed that around the turn of the century frogs were raised there and sold for $.33 a dozen, destined no doubt, for the tables of Victorian San Francisco gourmets.
Frog's Leap Winery is happily ensconced at the historic Red Barn property in Rutherford. This grand and Welcoming building was originally built as a winery in 1884. It is now not only home to some of the Napa Valley's best wines but also to what has to be the wine world's best motto - "Time's fun when you're having flies!"
A strong commitment to sustainable agriculture on the part of Frog's Leap's vineyards complements the winery's goal: to have fun making elegant wines with superb balance: a crisp and vivacious Sauvignon Blanc, a spicy and engaging Zinfandel, a classic Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, a rich barrel-fermented Carneros Chardonnay, and a supple, fruit-filled Merlot.
Napa Valley
North Coast's Napa Valley is California's most famous viticultural area (AVA), claiming some of the most expensive agricultural land in the world and producing wines of cult status.
Its 16,000 ha of vines lie over a strip (40 miles long-5 miles wide) of diverse soils (clay, gravely, volcanic), with its northernmost end on the side of Mountain Helena and its foot in San Francisco Bay. The valley is framed by two mountains ranges Vaca (to the north) and Mayacamas (to the south), yet the main climatic influence is the cool wind and fog that is sucked in from San Pablo Bay during the afternoon, allowing grapes to ripen slowly and evenly.
The area enjoys a variety of unique microclimates, as temperatures can vary dramatically as much as 15 degrees, from the north to the south end of the valley. These differences have led to the creation of several sub-AVAs (14 in total) including:
Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley District, Diamond Mountain District, Howell Mountain, Los Carneros, Mt. Veeder, Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena, Spring Mountain District, Stags Leap District, Yountville, Wild Horse Valley and Oak Knoll District. The Calistoga AVA is still pending approval.
Both the Napa Valley designation and the sub-AVA name must appear on the wine label simultaneously, with the exception of wines from the Carneros AVA, which is shared between the Napa Valley and the Sonoma County.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the undisputed king of Napa grapes, occupying over 45% of the vineyard acreage, followed by (predominantly) Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Zinfandel, Merlot, Cab. Franc and to a lesser extent Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, Barbera, Dolcetto.
Recommended Producers
Frog's Leap, Dominus, David Ramey, Viader, Stag's Leap Cellars, Paras Vineyards, Heitz.
Merlot
The most widely planted grape in Bordeaux and a grape that has been on a relentless expansion drive throughout the world in the last decade. Merlot is adaptable to most soils and is relatively simple to cultivate. It is a vigorous naturally high yielding grape that requires savage pruning - over-cropped Merlot-based wines are dilute and bland. It is also vital to pick at optimum ripeness as Merlot can quickly lose its varietal characteristics if harvested overripe.
In St.Emilion and Pomerol it withstands the moist clay rich soils far better than Cabernet grapes, and at it best produces opulently rich, plummy clarets with succulent fruitcake-like nuances. Le Pin, Pétrus and Clinet are examples of hedonistically rich Merlot wines at their very best. It also plays a key supporting role in filling out the middle palate of the Cabernet-dominated wines of the Médoc and Graves.
Merlot is now grown in virtually all wine growing countries and is particularly successful in California, Chile and Northern Italy.
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Description
This comes from some of the original Frog’s Leap vineyards around their historic red barn. Lush but not overpowering, the complexity is enhanced by giving Merlot cold feet (in clay) and a warm body (from extended evening sunshine). Beautifully judged.
Rich & full-bodied.
94% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon.
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