Kenwood Vineyards 2009 Sonoma County Merlot

Kenwood Vineyards creates its award-winning Sonoma County Merlot from vineyards located in the Dry Creek, Alexander, and Sonoma Valleys.  Sonoma Valley fruit provides good color and excellent texture.  The blend is balanced with grapes from the warmer Dry Creek and Alexander Valley regions that provide more fruit-forward character. The resulting wine is ripe, supple and well-proportioned.

The summer of 2009 was warm, followed by a mild fall that gently ripened the grapes. The Merlot crop was harvested in September and October as the individual vineyards reached the peak of ripeness and flavor. Each vineyard lot was fermented and aged separately in a combination of French and American oak barrels for 20 months. After aging, the wines were removed from barrels and blended for taste and balance, just prior to bottling in July of 2011. A touch of Cabernet Sauvignon was added into the final wine for additional complexity.