Darioush
Signature Merlot 2018
Napa Valley
Sourced from estate vineyards with unique microclimates and soils throughout Napa Valley, including Oak Knoll and Mount Veeder, the Signature Merlot displays the naturally plush characteristics of the grape, yet retains the focus and aromatic complexity that is the hallmark of Darioush style.
Winemaking
Following hand-harvest and hand sorting, fermentation begins with a 4 day cold soak in traditional fermenters with gentle pump-overs for controlled color extraction and tannin management. After fermentation is complete, the wine is aged 20 months in 70% new French oak barrels.
Vintage
The Signature Merlot is sourced from two of Darioush’s prime estate vineyards: Oak Knoll and Mount Veeder. The Oak Knoll vineyard, located on the valley floor, allows the fruit to reach prime concentration and carefully ripen to develop the plush nature while the Mount Veeder vineyard benefits from cool microclimates and soils that provide acidity and focus to the final wine.
Tasting Note
A nod to the long, even-keeled growing season on our high-elevation Sage Vineyard atop Mount Veeder, 2018 Signature Merlot displays the concentration and finesse of a classic mountain-grown Merlot. Aromatically complex with licorice, violets, dusty cocoa, and fine leather, the flavors move from dense black cherry and currant fruits, refreshed with a blood orange-like acidity to savory herb, forest, and bergamot notes. The wine finishes powerful and polished, with rich plummy fruit and freshly baked pie crust, and will develop further complexity with aging.
Color
Red
Grape Varieties
Merlot
Appellation
Napa Valley
Suggested Retail Price
$68
Trade Materials
Darioush Signature Merlot 2018 Tech Sheet
Added October 29, 2021 -
Other Wines by this Producer
Signature Cabernet Franc
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Signature Viognier
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A rarity in the Napa Valley, the Darioush Signature Viognier is fragrant, alluring an exotic. Sourced from the cooler vineyards of Oak Knoll where early morning fog and late afternoon breezes allow for slow, complete ripening of the signature bright and vibrant character full of effusive floral aromatics and a core of juicy stone fruit.
Signature Cabernet Sauvignon
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Seamless, with an ideal balance of fruit, structure and composure, the Darioush Signature Cabernet Sauvignon is the result of decades of meticulous vineyard sourcing and management in the cooler sites of Southern Napa Valley. Sourced primarily from the estate vineyards atop Mount Veeder and Coombsville, these vineyards have reached maturity and produce wines of distinct concentration, complexity and signature freshness to be expected from Darioush.
Darius II Cabernet Sauvignon
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Each year, after fermentation of the signature vineyards, winemaker Hope Goldie selects the best barrels of the vintage to be blended into the Crown Jewel of the Darioush estate. Bottling after bottling, the wine captures its vintage’s complexity, composure and refinement in an irresistible manner that is both expressive in its youth, yet undoubtedly reveals further detail and elegance for the patient over the following decade or two. Paying homage to the exceptional quality that distinguished each vintage from the last, each vintage label bears a unique and rich example of historical Persian art.
Signature Chardonnay
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Sourced from the Darioush Estate valleys throughout the Napa Valley, all with unique, cooler Southern Napa Valley Climates, the Signature Chardonnay is progrssive in its integration of precision, richness and complexity. The wine displays signature varietal characteristics that are matched with the inherent freshness and vibrancy.
