2006 Ravenswood Winery Sonoma County Merlot
Mission Codename: No longer Sideways
Operative: Agent Red
Objective: Send Agent Red back to Ravenswood Winery, one of our most popular wineries, to procure their Sonoma County Merlot, a small-production, limited-availability wine that delivers a high-dollar drinking experience, for a fraction of the price.
Mission Status: Accomplished!
Current Winery: Ravenswood Winery
Wine Subject: 2006 Merlot
Winemaker: Joel Peterson
Backgrounder: For today’s wine, we return to Ravenswood Winery, one of our most popular wineries. This time around, Agent Red was able to procure an allotment of their excellent Sonoma County Merlot, a limited-availability wine that is a hidden gem of the winery. The Sonoma mountain AVA was shaped by ancient volcanic activity. The mountain, which consists of obsidian, marine deposits and ash, rises high above the Sonoma Valley. Vineyards on Sonoma Mountain benefit from being above the fog line. This allows for even, slow ripening – resulting in complex Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with elegant and complex fruit flavors.
Varietal Backgrounder: To true wine lovers, Merlot is one of the finest wine varietals in the world. Today, Merlot continues to sell in record numbers across the US, outpacing most other varietals. Merlot is a sincere, food-fabulous wine for serious wine drinkers, and today’s wine raises the bar for Merlot by delivering a delicious, complex, fruit-forward wine with plenty of complexity.
Wine Spies Tasting Profile:
Look – Darkest garnet, with a magenta edge. After swirling, thin, wine-stained legs start low on the glass wall. They take some time long time to emerge before slowly running downward.
Smell – Sweet and spicy with blackberry, black cherry, black raspberry and soft brown spice out in front. After the wine breathes for a while, it reveals additional aromas of leather, savory herbs and dried meats.
Feel – Soft and round and very plush, this wine grips in at the front palate and then spreads a chalky, even dryness all around the palate. A bright acidity and integrated tannins frame the fruit, beautifully, giving the wine a great sense of balance.
Taste – Tart and sweet, with blackberry jam, wild strawberry, black cherry and red plum providing a brilliant burst of initial flavors. Decant for 30 minutes or more, and additional flavors emerge. These include dark chocolate, soft brown spice, softly toasty oak, dried red rose petals and a hint of flinty black pepper.
Finish – Very long and packed with dark fruit flavors. Gradually, the fruit tails off, replaced by dried red rose, bakers chocolate, spice, flint and black pepper.
Conclusion – With nearly a dozen limited-production Ravenswood wines featured here, we have come to expect greatness. While the winery’s focus is on great Zinfandel, their Merlot and their red blends really shine, as well. Today’s 2006 Sonoma County Merlot is a delicious, budget-minded wine of terrific balance and distinctive character. Bright and bold, with delicious fruit and earthy flavors, this is a classic, food-fantastic wine that provides a flavor-packed, palate-cleansing experience that our tasting panel all really enjoyed. And, while this is a great food companion, we also agreed that this wine would be a great Springtime solo-sipper. If you love Ravenswoods wine, you’ll certainly enjoy this delicious Merlot. Cheers to Ravenswood and to winemaker, Joel Peterson, for expanding our horizons!
