San Giacomo Vineyard Kaiser Ranch This plot was planted in 1987 + 1991. Affected by the cold winds of Carneros, Merlot is unable to be completely pollinated and always suffers from "shutter" (poor fruit set), which results in a Merlot with a concentrated flavor. By leaving more branches with grapes, allowing the vines to be strong and with more bunches to create a biologically balanced state, the result is a Merlot with a juicy, concentrated flavor not found in other California vintages. The 2020 vintage has a slightly lower alcohol content, resulting in a mellow finish. Highly fragrant, with hints of fresh plum, green olive, and vanilla, and plenty of vibrant fruit. Production volume: 227 cases/year
Technical information
Production volume: 227 cases
Brewing: Fermented in open redwood barrels used in the 1980s (soft finish), using natural yeast, all by hand, aged in French barrels (30% new barrels).
Comment from Joel Peterson
"The 2020 is a great expression of Carneros' cool climate Merlot, with aromas of cedar, sweet mulberry, dark cherry and mint, and a taste that's surprisingly soft and round considering the somewhat low alcohol content. If all Merlots were like this, they'd be really popular," Joel quips.
Field Information
Kaiser Ranch lot at San Giacomo Vineyards
Ravenswood produced the Merlot San Giacomo Vineyard for its first vintage in 1989. I had heard that David Ramey had farmed this parcel to the San Giacomo family for use in Matanzas Creek wines.
It was produced until the early 2000s, but production was discontinued in accordance with Constellation's policy of focusing on Zinfandel.
I had heard that Matanzas Creek also went out of production around the same time, and I assumed that the Sangiacomo family had replanted it with Pinot Noir or Chardonnay.
However, when he heard from his son Morgan that the Merlot vines were still planted, he begged the Sangiacomo family to let him grow wine again, and was finally able to obtain grapes.
This plot was originally planted with Riesling vines grafted with Merlot in 1987, and then expanded in 1991 to reduce the spacing between the vines.
Affected by the cold winds of Carneros, the Merlot is unable to pollinate completely and is constantly experiencing "shutter" (poor fruit set), but this has resulted in a Merlot with a concentrated flavor.
However, the downside was that the strong jalapeno flavor often came through.
By negotiating with the San Giacomo family, they were able to leave more branches bearing grapes, resulting in strong vines, more grape clusters, and a more biologically balanced vineyard. This resulted in a juicy, concentrated Merlot not found anywhere else in California.
Vintage: 2020
Capacity: 750ml
Type: Red wine
Taste: Full-bodied
Main variety: 100% Merlot
Country of Origin: America
Region Name: California
AVA: Sonoma
Nested AVAs, Others: Carneros
Vineyard: Kiser Ranch (Sangiacomo Vineyard)
Note: Limited quantity available
Winemaker: Joel Peterson
Vinification: Fermented with wild yeast in open redwood barrels
Aging: French barrel aging (30% new barrels)
Cap: Cork
Alcohol content: 12.4%