Robert Craig Merlot Howell Mountain 2018 750 ML

The 2018 Howell Mountain is a full-throttle Merlot experience with all the tannin structure and backbone that Howell Mountain brings. It couples an exotic perfume in the nose and dark cassis and wild bramble berry fruit in the mouth.\n \n Producer Information\n Robert Craig Winery is a Californian wine producer primarily known for its Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines. The estate was founded by Robert Craig who has been making small-lot mountain vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon wines in the Napa Valley for over 30 years. Indeed, Craig began producing wines under his name in 1990, three years before he acquired a three-hectare (eight-acre) vineyard in the cool foothills of Mount George in the Coombsville AVA. The grapes cultivated here form the basis of the single-vineyard Affinity Cabernet Sauvignon blend that typically features smaller quantities of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The estate also has several further vineyards in the Napa Valley in Howell Mountain, Mount Veeder and the Spring Mountain District. These plots are mainly planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, with additional plantings of Zinfandel at the Black Sears Vineyard and Grenache at the Estate Vineyard on Howell Mountain. The Durell Vineyard in the Sonoma Valley was initially the source of Robert Craig Winery's only white wine – a Chardonnay – and while the winery's Chardonnays are still sourced from the Sonoma Valley, the individual vineyards can change depending on vintage. Robert Craig's winery is situated on Howell Mountain. Individual vineyard plots are fermented separately allowing for increased blending options and the fine-tuning of each wine style. The Cabernet Sauvignon wines undergo aging in French oak barrels to give them an increased level of complexity.