Northstar Merlot Offering

"I've always been impressed by Washington State merlot. It just sort of jumped out of the glass at me...You just feel this is right: this is not an attempt at something, this is something." - Jancis Robinson

It's the end of the fiscal year for some of the big wine companies and that means "Stupid Deal" time and we love to get a deal on a wine that we already love and most of you who have been following our handy work know that I love the wines of Washington State.  What most people don't know is that they make some of the best merlot in the United States in the Columbia Valley Washington. 

All right don't give me a hard time about Merlot as this is one of the few red grape varietals that can be made into a world class wine.  This varietal has a bad rap because of the ocean of thin and insipid wines that are produced under this moniker in California.  Truth be told some of the greatest, longest lived and most expensive wines of Bordeaux are made almost exclusively with this varietal- ie. the famous Chateau Petrus from Pomerol.

Truth be told there are only a few places on earth that produce outstanding Merlot.  Of course you have St. Emilion and Pomerol in France.  Then we make great merlot in Napa, Sonoma and Paso Robles in California.  In Italy they also produce outstanding Merlot in Tuscany.  But that is about it!  Merlot may be even more finicky than Pinot Noir!

Washington state wineries have become very well known for their Merlot over the last two decades and one of the premier wineries for this varietal is Northstar.  Northstar's first release was from the 1994 vintage and the winery focuses on producing wines solely from Merlot and have both a Walla Walla and a Columbia Valley cuvee.  Once again this year the Columbia Valley wine is one of the best Merlots that have come across my desk and has made my pick for "Best Domestic Merlot" and we just got a deal enabling us to give you our wine drinking people the best price in the country on this wine!!!

Northstar - The Best Merlot Producer in the U.S.?

2020 Northstar Merlot Columbia Valley
Suggested Retail $45      Sale $25             6pk $135             

A blend of 81% Merlot and 19% Cabernet Sauvignon this 2020 vintage has a dark color and lots of black plum, black raspberry, dark cherry berry fruit dark chocolate, espresso, cigar box spice, cedar, lovely complexity on the nose, a classic textbook Merlot blend.  Smooth and silky on the tongue with layers of plum and berry fruit with lovely richness and depth of flavors, the finish goes on and on with an array of spice, fresh earth, fine herbs and nice hand of acidity keeping this wine fresh through the finish, very well built and should last for a decade or more in your cellar.  Finish 40+.  Excellent

Vintage Notes:

Slightly warmer than average winter temperatures proceeding the 2020 growing season resulted in little to no vine damage with normal bud break.
Warm spring temperatures created excellent conditions for canopy growth and early fruit development.
A mild summer with very few periods of excessive heat and cooler fall temperatures created ideal conditions for developing beautiful fruit flavors and aromas.

Vineyards

Winemaker David “Merf” Merfeld works closely with each grower to achieve specific fruit quality and yield parameters.
Fruit from four vineyards and eight different blocks contributed to the blend.  Merlot was sourced from Four Feathers, Beverly, James, and Cold Creek vineyards. Cold Creek Cabernet Sauvignon rounded out the blend.

A bit of info on Northstar:

Northstar, located in Walla Walla, Washington, aims to make Merlots that can be considered among the world’s best, using fruit sourced from one of the world’s best regions for Merlot: Washington State.

Merlot is the best selling red grape variety in America.  Merlot-based wines from Bordeaux’s Pomerol region are generally the most expensive and sought-after wines in the world.  Blending New World fruit with an Old World winemaking style, influenced by Bordeaux’s "right bank," Northstar creates Merlots that are among the most highly acclaimed in the world.

David "Merf" Merfeld is Northstar’s winemaker and has been at Northstar since 2001. Famed California winemaker Jed Steele, Northstar’s consulting winemaker, has been involved with the winery since its first vintage in 1994.

Vineyard diversity is one of the keys to Northstar’s success.  For any given vintage, nearly two dozen unique vineyard blocks from around the Columbia Valley are sourced, with a dozen or so making it through the rigorous selection process into the final blend.  The majority of these vineyards are over 15 years old (vine maturity is important for Merlot and Cabernet grapes) and are farmed to our winemaking team’s specifications.

Northstar produces three wines: their flagship Columbia Valley Merlot; the limited production Walla Walla Merlot, which showcases local vineyards; and Stella Maris, a Columbia Valley red wine blended from wines made for Northstar Merlot but ultimately not selected for the final blend due to stylistic considerations.

Vineyards

Some of their Merlot is grown in Washington state’s Columbia Valley on the eastern side of the state. Summer daytime temperatures are quite warm - typically in the high 80s. Nighttime temperatures are cool. This protects the natural acidity in the wine and gives the grapes extra time on the vine to develop more complexity. Rainfall is limited to 6-8 inches annually, due in large measure to the vast Cascade Mountain range that shields Northstar's vineyards from Seattle’s famous inclement weather. Their vineyard managers have the luxury of using irrigation as a tool to "stress" the vine, which in turn boosts flavor in the grapes.

Diversity of vineyards and sub-appellations within the Columbia Valley are Northstar’s hallmarks. Fruit is selected from the very best possible sources throughout the Columbia Valley. The Northstar team works closely with each grower to achieve specific fruit quality and yield parameters. Vines are an average of 15 years old and yield grapes with concentrated varietal flavors of cherry and plum with elegant tannins. Fruit from over 8 separate vineyards and 10 different blocks contributed to this 2004 blend.

Winemaking

At harvest, grapes were destemmed and crushed with 40% whole berries remaining, then fermented on the skins for 5-7 days with daily punch downs.
The wine was placed into 100% French oak - 34% new barrels - where it underwent malolactic fermentation.
The wine aged for 20 months with racking occurring at three month intervals.