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: 2005 Merus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

2005 Merus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

SKU #1051132 96 points Wine Advocate

Outer quote mark As for their own wines, all of which come from southern Napa sites in Oak Knoll and Coombsville, the 2005 is certainly one of the finest wines they have yet made. A 1,000-case blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot and Malbec, the wine is dense purple-colored to the rim, with an exquisite nose of charcoal, graphite, and blackberry liqueur. Full-bodied, with great power, richness, and sensational length, this wine will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle-age and last three decades. (RP) 96+ Inner quote mark (12/2007)

96 points Wine Spectator

Outer quote mark Super-rich, smooth and creamy. A seductive style that balances ripe, concentrated currant, cherry, fresh earth, mineral and sage notes with toasty, cedary oak. Ends with a powerful yet elegant finish that keeps pumping out the flavors. Fine-grained tannins bode well for the future. *Top 100 Wines of 2008* (JL) Inner quote mark (10/2008)

94 points Int'l Wine Cellar

Outer quote mark Good deep ruby. Black fruits, graphite, bitter chocolate and spices on the vibrant, quintessential cabernet nose. Sweet, lush and chewy, with terrific concentration to the flavors of blackcurrant, chocolate, mocha and minerals. Wonderfully full, sexy and deep for the vintage ("you'll find a lot of thin, high-alcohol wines in 2005," noted Mark Herold), but with lovely energy and lift at the same time. A firmly structured, ageworthy cabernet that finishes with big, broad tannins and excellent length. "It was a challenge to get our growers to drop crop in '05 but it was necessary owing to the size of the flowering and the cool summer," said Herold. "We picked into the beginning of November, and even then we decided to declassify the fruit that didn't ripen properly." A highly successful vintage for this bottling. Incidentally, Merus was recently purchased by William Foley, owner of Foley, Firestone and Lincourt, among other wineries. Foley hopes to find some prime Napa Valley vineyards for partners Herold and Erika Gottl, who until now have relied on purchased fruit to make their wine. Inner quote mark (5/2008)

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2005 Merus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Price: $169.99

Quantity:

RP: 96

WS: 96

ST: 94

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Additional Information:

Varietal:

Cabernet Sauvignon and Blends

- Cabernet Sauvignon has come a long way from its role as a blending varietal, however dominant, in the wines of Bordeaux. Today it is the most planted red varietal in the world. Identified as a descendent of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc, the late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon needs to be planted in warmer climates to fully ripen. Its small berries can easily be identified for their distinctive blue color, thick skins and high tannins. And while the varietal has its own definitive characteristics: green pepper-like aromas and black currant flavors among them, it is perhaps most prized for its ability to convey terroir, vintage and winemaking. A relatively new varietal, Cabernet Sauvignon started making inroads into the wines of the Médoc and Graves in the late-18th century. Today it is also dominant in the up-and-coming Entre-Deux-Mers region of Bordeaux and can also be found in Southwest France. It is the companion varietal to Sangiovese in Italy's Super Tuscans and is planted all over Europe, stretching to lesser-known winegrowing regions like Russia and Lebanon. In the Americas Cabernet Sauvignon has found champions in every nook and cranny of California and among winemakers in Washington, where it complements plantings of Merlot. In South America, Cab thrives in Chile, but can also be found in smaller amounts in Argentina and even in Mexico.

Country:

United States

- When people consider domestic wine, they normally think about the state of California. The fine viticultural Region within California, including the Napa Valley, Sonoma, Santa Cruz Mountains, Mendocino and Santa Barbara, are capable of growing grapes of world-class quality. But there's plenty of fabulous wine coming from other states, too. Oregon, Washington and New York are also causing eyebrows (and glassware) to be raised around the world.

Sub-Region:

California

- With the explosive growth that California's wine industry has seen the past several years, it's easy to view winemaking and grape growing in the Golden State as a recent phenomenon. And while it's true that California's viticultural history is brief compared to several European countries, this state's roots date back well over 200 years. Due to the enormous response to California wine within the United States and worldwide, there are thousands of excellent and diverse wines being produced within the state each year.

Specific Appellation:

Napa Valley

- America's most famous wine region, which encompasses a varied geographical territory running about 20 miles long from the San Francisco Bay northward to the foot of Mount St. Helena. Napa's great diversity, both in terms of climate and terroir, has led to the creation of a number of smaller AVAs like Stags Leap District, Rutherford, Howell Mountain, Oakville and Mount Veeder, among others. Cabernet and chardonnay still reign supreme, but just about everything under the sun is grown in Napa Valley, in quality levels ranging from $2 jug wine to $500 a bottle California cab.

Alcohol Content (%):

15.6