Stag's Leap Winery Napa Valley Merlot 2006

Napa Valley, USA
Natalie's Score: 90/100
Community Score: 4.5/5
Community Reviews: 3
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Product #: 655399
Wine Type: Red Wine


  		Price: $44.95
Alcohol: 14.1%
Drink: 2009-2014
Bottle size: 750 ml

Winery: Stag's Leap Winery
Agent: Treasury Wine Estates
More Vintages: 2008  2007 

Tasting note:

A vibrant red with fleshy ripe blackberries and blackcurrants. A smoky oak infused finish that lasts a long time. Decant for 1-2 hours.

Reviewed January 1, 2009 by

 

More Reviews

Opinions about wine differ greatly as the experience is subjective. You may find it helpful to compare this critical evaluation of the wine with mine as well as your own:
Grapes from the older plantings of Merlot from our Estate Vineyard form the backbone
of this wine. Here, the cooler conditions and the exceptionally well-drained loamy soils bring out the best that Merlot has to offer. The balance of the fruit is from select hillside and benchland vineyards up and down the Napa Valley where our grower-partners have been farming for generations.
All of the grapes were hand picked and kept separate throughout harvest and fermentation.
A tiny fraction of Cabernet Sauvignon from the estate was incorporated into the blend before aging in French oak barrels (50 percent new) for 20 months. This is a classic Stags' Leap Merlot with a complex mid-palate and a bold, elegant, and very terroir-expressive tannin structure.
The Stags' Leap Napa Valley Merlot opens with aromas of black currant, fennel, leather
and cassis. The palate reveals a dense, full-bodied wine with layers of plum, espresso, brambles and licorice. Firm tannins carry through to a finish of velvety bittersweet chocolate.

 
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Serve this wine between 60-65 degrees Farenheit or 15-18 degrees Celsius.

 

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