2023 Duckhorn "Three Palms Vineyard" Napa Valley Merlot

From Duckhorn's iconic Three Palms Vineyard in the Calistoga sub-appellation, the 2023 Three Palms Vineyard Merlot is a blend of 89% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Malbec, aged for 18 months in French oak (75% new). It's a harmonious, beautifully composed wine in 2023, with a medium-bodied and charming appeal rooted in silky-soft tannins. Fragrant and succulent red-berry notes mingle with black cherry and blackberry, interlaced with elegant cedarwood accents, a pop of vanilla, and wet river stone minerality. This wine isn't as intense as the 2021 or 2022, but it has an elegance that suggests it will cellar well. The Three Palms site was the original home of Lillie Hitchcock Coit, a wealthy San Francisco socialite. The winery has produced wine from the 29ha site since 1978. (JC)