Bighorn Cellars 2003 Merlot, Broken Rock Vineyard

Wine Recommendation:
Bighorn Cellars 2003 Merlot, Broken Rock Vineyard

Winemaker Notes:
Sourced from Bill Hill’s home ranch Broken Rock, our 2003 Merlot is a full and succulent wine with ripe plum and berry flavors, a bright palate and luxurious, smooth tannins. The wine was aged for 22 months on 100% French oak, 50% of which was new, adding layers of vanilla, cedar and spice to this full-bodied wine. This is a well-structured wine with excellent cellar potential, but for those who have trouble holding on to wine, it makes a perfect pairing for a wide range of cuisine.

Vineyard Notes:
Named for its remarkably rocky soil, this 48 acre vineyard is Bill Hill’s home ranch. This hillside location, blessed with high drainage and low fertility soil, consistently produces wines of unusual intensity and concentration. The property, which is currently planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, is located on the eastern ridge of Napa Valley at the foot of Atlas Peak near Soda Canyon. Bill Hill developed this vineyard in a true state-of-the-art fashion: it includes densely planted vines (over 2,000 vines per acre), the best clones grafted onto low vigor root stock, and northwest to southwest row orientation. Our wines from the Broken Rock Vineyard exhibit intense color extraction ranging from deep garnet to purple-black, with rich ripe berry flavors and aromas.

Technical Notes:

Appellation:	Napa Valley
Vineyard:	Broken Rock
Varietal Content:	100% Merlot
Harvest Date:	September 2003
Alcohol:	14.5%
Production:	365 cases