1997 Merlot
ESTATE
GROWN - Columbia Valley
Accolades & Awards
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Gold Medal
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Intervin International (1,681 entries)
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June 1999
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Gold Medal
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Tasters Guild Int'l (1,443 entries)
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June 1999
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Silver Medal
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Los Angeles County Fair (2,661 entries)
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June 1999
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Silver Medal
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Indiana State Fair (2,309 entries)
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July 1999
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Silver Medal
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Florida State Fair Wine Competition
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Feb 2000
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Silver Medal
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Dallas Morning News Wine Competition
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Feb 2000
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Bronze Medal
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Pacific Northwest Enological Society
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July 1999
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Bronze Medal
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Atlanta Wine Summit
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Oct 1999
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Bronze Medal
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American Wine Society (958 entries)
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Dec 1999
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Northwest Palate HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Very dark garnet. Berry and plum jam aroma. Juicy on the palate with flavors of concentrated berry fruit and bright acidity. Long, intense fruit finish balances soft tannins. Serve now with beef ragout. (September 1999)
BEVERAGE TESTING INSTITUTE 88 POINTS-HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (Sep 1999)
Wine Spectator 86 POINTS. Firm in texture...nice black cherry and tar flavors under a fine-grained layer of chewy tannins. Best after 2001. (November 1999)
Wine & Spirits RECOMMENDED. Green peppercorn and oak flavors add zest... The structure and flavors suggest pairing it with steak au poivre. (June 1999)
Vintage
Weather conditions for the season were near ideal with total heat units slightly above average accompanied by a long, mild fall. Some early rainfall did occur in September but the weather returned to a warm pattern that is ideal for grape maturation. As a consequence, 1997 is considered one of the better recent vintages in terms of varietal color, extraction, and flavors. We harvested the Merlot grapes from our estate vineyard during the second week of September.
Winemaking
Shortly after picking, our grapes were crushed into stainless steel tanks and yeasts were added for alcoholic fermentation. Following a short maceration and fermentation of five to seven days, the must was pressed and the wine racked into oak barrels for a 13-month aging period. The oak used was one-third French and two-thirds American.
Winemaker Notes
Our 1997 Merlot is definitely powerful. A dark ruby color highlighted by purple introduces gorgeous blackberry fruit aromas broadened by spice, vanilla, and tobacco. The focused, generously textured mouthfeel has great depth and layered tannins through the finish with concentrated flavors of blackberry, red currant, vanilla and chocolate. This wine is very drinkable now but has great potential for further development over the next 4-5 years
Wine Data
Composition: 85% merlot, 15% cabernet sauvignon
pH: 3.69
TA: 0.59%
Alcohol: 13.4%
Production: 2900 cases (750ml)
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2004. All rights reserved.
GORDON BROTHERS FAMILY VINEYARDS
671 Levey Road, Pasco, WA 99301
PHONE: (509) 547-6331
FAX: (509) 547-6305
EMAIL: info@gordonwines.com
WEB: http://www.gordonwines.com
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