Alluvia Unfiltered Merlot 2022
$38.90
750mL Bottle
Varietal: Merlot
Vintage: 2022
SKU: 554998
One-half of Intersection's flagship Merlot pair (along with the Silica)
Tasting Notes: Medium burgundy with garnet highlights. Nose has pleasing plum and cherry fruit, warm spices, red licorice and cranberry fruit throughout. Fragrant, expressive and interesting. Good complexity despite its very early release! Palate is smooth, spicy with a juicy acidity that gives the fruit a really nice "lift" midway through to the finish. Cocoa powder and mixed baking spices on the finish, warm and pleasant.
Farm Notes: In 2007 we planted one block of Merlot across two distinct soil types: a fine, thin plot of dry silicate sand, and the alluvial wake of an ancient creek system. For three years we created a unified Merlot from the block, until 2012 when we divided the field by soil and formed the Silica and Alluvia Merlots: twins in every way but one. Harvested in tandem and boasting near-identical winemaking, our labour is to isolate the single variable of soil in our flagship wines. Together, the Alluvia and Silica Merlots are paragons of all that we aim to achieve at Intersection: honest wines that truly represent a certain place at a certain time.
2022 was a cooler & rainier vintage, but a record tonnage was produced and the long, warm October helped flavour and colour development get to the quality level where we want our Merlot to be. Alluvia was picked October 19th and 20th, fermented in tank for 4 weeks, pressed and then aged in new & neutral French oak barriques for 20 months.
Maker Notes: Some interesting barrel information! Due to being 20 tons over the usual crop, we had to scramble for as many barrels as we could find! We got two extra new barrels for a total of four in the blend, and used a combination of 2nd and 3rd fill barrels to round out the profile. So the breakdown for the 20-barrel blend is: 4 new, 3 second fill, 2 third fill and the remainder all barriques from 2019 and earlier--they may still have a little oak impact but not very much. We spent a week reconditioning and repairing all the neutral red barrels we had in the winery, with only one single barrel not making the cut because its leaks could not be fixed. The more delicate structure of the 2022 reds actually lends itself to a more balanced wine with less new oak overall.
Food Pairing Notes: Match to homemade pork wontons, herby mushroom risotto or a selection of cured meats and hard cheeses (add dried blueberries and cranberries to the charcuterie board for a perfect mirror to the palate--impressive!)
Cases Produced: 450
Cellaring Potential: Open up with decanting for an hour or cellar for 5+ years.
Appellation: Golden Mile Slopes
Acid: 5.80 g/L
PH: 3.59
Residual Sugar: .8 g/L
Alcohol Percentage: 14.0%
Grower: Intersection Estate Winery