Monterey Wine De Tierra Merlot 2003 has classic Bordeaux aromas of hard spices, cedar and blackberry that join with vanilla and smoky oak flowing behind. This Monterey Merlot is full and intense in the mouth. It has rich fruit flavors that are carried by balanced acidity that keeps this wine focused and produces a lush finish. 2003 De Tierra Estate Merlot is a Monterey Merlot that is fermented in small open top fermentors, and that are punched down three times a day to manage the tannins while extracting intense color and flavors. The Monterey wine is aged 22 months in 100% new Hungarian oak barrels to heighten the lush mouth-feel and bordelaise character. With eighteen months of bottle age, this wine is drinking quite well but it's structure and intensity would indicate many years of enjoyment to come. Only 670 caes poduced.

De Tierra Estate Merlot is grown deep in the Corral de Tierra at the foot of Mount Toro between the Santa Lucia Highlands and the Carmel Valley in Monterey County in what John Steinbeck called "the pastures of heaven". The vineyard is organically farmed to accentuate the terroir of this most unusual area. De Tierra Vineyards is a small wine maker located in Corral De Tierra, a valley situated between the Santa Lucia Highlands and Carmel Valley in Monterey County, California. This little valley has a combination of very loamy soils with with some Monterey shale and high organic matter content. Using organic farming methods and prime grapes, this wine maker is considered one of the finest vineyards in the Monterey region.

RATINGS: 83 Points - Wine Enthusiast
"There�s an explosion of ripe fruit in this dry wine�blackberries, cherries, raspberries and milk chocolate. It�s basically a fruit bomb, though, with just enough acids and tannins to make it balanced."

Alcohol: 14%