From the winery:
Grown in Napa Valley's premier vineyards, our Merryvale Varietal and Single Vineyard wines are limited production, expressive wines. Hand picked, and carefully sorted, these wines are handcrafted in small lots and aged in the finest French oak. - See more at: http://www.merryvale.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=wines.main#sthash.UpLwQxMt.dpuf
Chateau Ste. Michelle owns 3,500 acres in Washington state's renowned Columbia Valley. The Columbia Valley American Viticulture Area (AVA) is a region separated from Seattle's rainy, marine climate by the Cascade Mountains. The mountains shield the rain, limiting annual rainfall to 6-8 inches, allowing our vineyard managers to control vine vigor through irrigation. All vines in the Columbia Valley are planted on their own rootstock, which helps us maintain the health and longevity of our vineyards and preserves the grape variety in its natural state.
We craft this wine to be our complex yet approachable Merlot. The wine offers aromas of black cherry, leather and spice with layers of rich dark red fruit flavors and a long, smooth, sweet finish. A touch of Syrah adds a jammy fruit character. I think of this wine as a great “everyday red”.