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| 1999 Merlot California |
| In the Press The Wine Bursting with berry-cherry fruit and just a whiff of fresh mint, this wine is distinctly fruity, with a soft, supple texture and a round, mouth-filling body. Harvest Notes: 1999 By Don Ackerman, Viticulturist Our growing season was cooler and longer than usual, with only a couple of heat spikes in late summer. The grapes didn't reach full maturity until well into October, when the possibility of rainfall increases. We had a few anxious moments, but we were able to pick everything off the vine before the skies opened on us. A Word From Our Founding Winemaker By Chuck Ortman I'm a traditionalist when it comes to certain aspects of winemaking, yet in other ways I'm a renegade. For this Merlot, I used the classic winemaking techniques of warm (85°) fermentation for roughly seven days, then racking the wine into small oak barrels to age for six months. Where did I break with tradition? I chose a medium-plus toast level for the barrels, instead of a medium toast level. I'll explain. When a barrel is created, it's "toasted" over an open fire to a desired toast level. Light-toast barrels add subtle wood flavors to the wine, while heavy-toast barrels add bigger oak flavors. I chose a higher toast level than usual for this Merlot because I wanted to add a taste of vanillin to complement the soft tannins and extracted fruit flavors in the wine. The wood for these barrels came primarily from the Never and Limousine forests in France, and left their imprint on this remarkable wine. |
| 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon California |
| In the Press Wine Discoveries Worth aging for several years, this excellent cabernet can be enjoyed now with, say, grilled beef. (Arthur Damond) October 4, 2000 The Insiders’ Wine Line Rated 84 …a perfumed nose of black cherry, plums, pepper, cassis, violets, clove and vanilla. The flavors of cherries, black plums, chocolate, pepper and toasty oak are concentrated with moderate depth followed by a fruity finish. June 2001 The Wine This Cabernet has flavors of black currant, plums and chocolate. It's an excellent accompaniment to filet mignon, roast leg of lamb, Stilton cheese, or pasta with red sauces. Harvest Notes: 1998 By Don Ackerman, Viticulturist The 1998 growing season was long and mild, with a very late harvest. In fact, it's the first time I can remember that we weren't crushing grapes on Labor Day. We're usually done picking by the end of October, but in 1998, we didn't finish until November 16. It's a roll-of-the dice harvesting that late because it usually rains in November. But we got lucky-just as the last load of grapes crossed the scale, it started raining. A Word From Our Founding Winemaker By Chuck Ortman We picked the grapes at 23 degrees Brix, and fermented the whole berries in a traditional warm fermentation that lasted about ten days. During fermentation, we used a pump-over technique to extract desirable color and flavor from the fruit. The wine was then gently pressed and transferred to small French and American oak barrels, where it aged for eleven months. Barrel aging adds subtle wood flavors and softens the wine's tannins, while increasing the complexity of its flavor. The wine was aged in the bottle six months before release. |
| 2000 Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County |
| In the Press The Wine This soft, supple, velvety-textured wine has flavors of black cherry, sweet vanilla, and pepper. With its deep notes of ripe, summer plums and spicy oak finish, it's highly enjoyable with smoked chicken, grilled lamb, pork, cheeses, pastas or turkey. Harvest Notes: 2000 By Don Ackerman, Viticulturist Our 2000 Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir is as exciting as its predecessors, mainly because of our winemaker's skill and the unique geography and microclimates of the Central Coast growing area. The growing season was ideal, beginning with a warm, dry spring that encouraged early budbreak. The subsequent long, even-temperatured season was ideal for premium Pinot Noir, and produced intensely flavored, balanced fruit. Over half the grapes for this vintage came from our own Santa Barbara County "Riverbench Vineyard" in the Santa Maria Valley. The gravely, rocky soil of this vineyard provides good drainage and low nutrient levels, which limit vine growth. A Word From Our Founding Winemaker By Chuck Ortman The thin skin of the finicky Pinot Noir grape requires the gentlest handling of any fruit I've worked with. Our grapes were harvested by hand, then brought to the winery in small bins and gently de-stemmed. Then, they were transferred to our custom fermentors, with open tops that allowed me to achieve the color and depth I wanted without compromising the quality of the fruit flavors in the finished wine. The wine was then aged for 11 months in small, French oak barrels, adding a toasty, nutty flavor. |
| 2000 Chardonnay Santa Barbara County |
| In the Press Wine Spectator Rated 87 - Best Buy! Lots to admire. Ripe, elegant pear, apple and honey flavors. Picks up light toasty oak on the finish. Excellent value. Drink now through 2004. May 15, 2002 Wine Enthusiast Rated 87 Meridian strikes again with this spiffy Chard packed with well ripened tropical fruits and spices, and a solid dose of smokey oak. It’s clean, crisp and intense, with a honeyed texture and long finish. Best of the Year 2001 California Wine Finds Rated #1 of the Month for Chardonnays The Meridian wines remain some of the best values on the planet, and winemaker Signe Zoller keeps their string of CWF appearances going with this pleasant, lightly oaked Chardonnay from Santa Barbara. Fresh apple and honey aromas are joined by lemon citrus flavors which awake your palate and then finish with some nice oak nuances… September/October 2001 The Wine Investor/Buyer’s Guide * * Very tropical in style with pineapple, citrus and nectarines that virtually jump out of the glass. Not subtle or restrained, but an aggressive in-your-face style. The palate is enhanced by the lively citrus underpinnings. December 2001 Naples Daily News Very Good+ …fresh apple and peat bouquet and the rip, juicy citrus- grapefruit flavors of this Meridian Chardonnay 2000, Santa Barbara County, stay just ahead of the oak… (Fredric Koeppel) October 31, 2001 The Maryland Gazette Here’s a good value in the chardonnay category. Rich tropical fruit flavors – especially pineapple – with a soft citrus finish. (Marquardt and Darr) October 10, 2001 Wine Discoveries The best of all the chardonnays in this issue,…a richly-flavored, lively and rather oaky white that has plenty of fruit, body and acidity to support the wood. (Arthur Damond) September/October 2001 San Jose Mercuray News A perennial winner that has plenty of what makes chardonnay so popular: considerable fruit, body and oak, all in neat balance. (Arthur Damond) October 31, 2001 Arkansas Democrat - Gazette The trick involved in Meridian Vineyards 2000 Santa Barbara Chardonnay…is that beneath its modest price tag lurks a truly excellent wine, with rich, well-balanced tropical fruit, citrus, peach and vanilla flavors, a creamy texture and a long, oak-tinged finish. (Robert Neralich) October 31, 2001 The Globe and Mail Metro …It’s still possible to find value in the Golden State…This delectable whit is big on fruit, oak and balance. A fleshy, mouth-filling wine with a fat core of rip pineapple – and citrus – like fruit and a crisp finish. (Beppi Crosariol) December 29, 2001 The Globe and Mail Metro …A fleshy, mouth-filling white, definitely not traditional zippy patio fare. Amply endowed with toasty oak and butter vanilla tones, it manages to stay finely balanced. The big oak doesn’t overwhelm, thanks to a fat core of ripe pineapple - and citrus- like fruit and a relatively crisp finish. (Beppi Crosariol) July 21, 2001 The Wine With its vibrant citrus flavors and undertones of jasmine, mango, and nectarines, this wine could only come from Santa Barbara County grapes. Ripe pineapple and other luscious tropical flavors and aromas jump from the glass. The finish is rich and round with lingering flavors of honey and lemon oil. Harvest Notes: 2000 By Don Ackerman, Viticulturist The 2000 growing season was fairly typical on the Central Coast-long and mild, without any dramatic high summer temperatures. This extended season gave the grapes plenty of time on the vine, where they developed exceptionally complex flavors. The harvest went smoothly, although when brief rain showers hit the Central Coast in early October, we were shaking in our boots! Afterwards, a warm, breezy week erased any lingering worries, and the season ended without further rain. We finished picking the Chardonnay in late October, at an average Brix of 24 degrees. Winemaking Notes By Signe Zoller, Winemaker I fermented this wine in small French and American oak barrels, putting the majority of it through malolactic fermentation. These steps, along with subsequent aging in small French oak barrels, helped balance the wine and add a creamy, toasty oak finish. A Word From Our Founding Winemaker By Chuck Ortman In creating this Chardonnay, I have the luxury of picking and choosing grapes from our three Santa Barbara coastal vineyards to make the best blend possible. Our White Hills Vineyard contributed over half of the grapes for this wine. Its sandy soil forces vines to stress and strain, producing fruit with concentrated flavors of lemon and orange blossom. Our Cat Canyon and Riverbench Vineyards provided the remainder of the grapes. With its well-drained limestone soils, Cat Canyon produces fruit with flavors of ripe summer peaches and pippin apples, bringing a crisp texture and vitality to the finished wine. Grapes from the rocky soils of Riverbench lean toward the tropical end of the flavor spectrum, and contribute a rich, honeyed texture and silky mouthfeel. With so many different flavors and textures to work with, you can imagine how much fun Signe and I have putting this blend together. We spend about two weeks intensively tasting and re-tasting to decide on the final wine. It really is an exhausting task, but we look forward to it each year. |
Nestled in California's acclaimed Central Coast area, midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Meridian Vineyards makes award-winning wines using grapes grown in our Santa Barbara vineyards. |