2012 Matthiasson Red Hen Vineyard Merlot, Napa Valley, USA Domaine Chapel The summer started with cool

The summer started with cool days but passed on to hot days and nights

Fermentation in barrels with frequent lees stirring and regular topping up

After pressing the wine is racked to French barrels

Champans is a steep parcel with a diversity of soils from the top to the bottom of the vineyard

Peter Bernhard along with his wife Viktoria

2012 Matthiasson Red Hen Vineyard Merlot, Napa Valley, USA Domaine Chapel The summer started with coolFrom the cool, breezy southern Napa flats, Red Hens gravelly alluvial soils give Merlot that is ripe but finely etched. The fruit was picked on the earlier side and fermented with native yeasts in small tanks, mostly destemmed, with gentle daily pump overs to keep the tannins fine. levage was deliberately quiettime in neutral French oak rather than new woodso the vineyard speaks clearly. This wine is offered from a private cellar, Terms and Conditions