Estancia Vineyards Merlot Central Coast 750 ML

Fresh red fruit and dark wood spice aromas make for a very approachable and familiar nose on this widely available bottling. There's decent heft to the palate, where soft tannins frame flavors of dried meat, dark cherry and leather.\n \n Producer Information\n \n Estancia Estates is a Monterey County-based wine producer producing wines from a range of Californian AVAs (American Viticultural Area). The wine portfolio is arranged in three tiers, headed by Estancia Reserve. The flagship wine of which is the Lodi Reserve Meritage, which is comprised of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and occasionally other Bordeaux grape varieties. Other wines in the collection include Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc sourced from Monterey County and a Merlot from the Central Coast. Estancia Estate sourced grapes from mulitple other AVAs and sub-regions across California, primarily Paso Robles, Monterey County, Santa Lucia Highlands and Lodi. In the winery, whole-bunch fermentation, gentle puch downs and barrel-fermentation are used to ensure the retention of phenolics and other flavor compounds throughout the winemaking process. The company was founded in 1986 by Augustin Huneeus (current owner of Quintessa and others), when he bought the Paul Masson vineyard in Soledad and the 1200 acre (480 hectare) Pinnacles Vineyard in Monterey. Another 700 acres (280 ha) in Paso Robles were added in 1999. In 2021, Estancia Estate was purchased by E&J Gallo.