Tasting Notes 
Richly textured and seductive, layers of ripe currant, cherry, fresh raspberry and spice linger across a silky, concentrated finish.  

Vintage 
The 2006 growing season was marked by steady, warm conditions that produced wines with outstanding, ripe fruit character. As is typical of the Columbia Valley, September and October temperatures warmed during the day, then cooled at night. These daily temperature fluctuations late in the season gave the grapes extra time to ripen without rushing physiological maturity resulting in balanced, expressive wines with good natural acidity.

Vineyards 
The Columbia Valley is a diverse growing region that provides a wide range of fruit expression by variety allowing the winemaker to craft rich, multi-layered wines. For our 2006 Merlot, winemaker Mike Januik blended wine from Novelty Hill’s estate vineyard Stillwater Creek along with select lots from Alder Ridge, Weinbau and Wahluke vineyards to add dimension and complexity to the finished wine.

Winemaking
• A combination of punch downs and pumpovers were used to extract color and flavor during the early stages of fermentation
• Fermentation was finished in barrels to integrate the fruit and oak
• Gravity-racked every three months to soften and clarify the wine
• Aged 18 months in both new and one-year-old oak barrels, predominantely French oak

Blend - 94% Merlot 
               6% Cabernet Sauvignon
           
Case Production - 2,980 cases

Alcohol - 14.4%

pH - 3.67

Total Acidity - 0. 51g/100 ml


Mike Januik, Winemaker