Wine Recommendation
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Wine Recommendation

Wine:Nickel & Nickel 2004 Merlot, Harris Vineyard (Oakville)

Nickel & Nickel

2004 Merlot, Harris Vineyard
(Oakville ~ Napa Valley)



The Harris Vineyard is located in western Oakville. Nickel & Nickel’s five-acre block offers a southern exposure and gravelly clay loam soils. Vines are now 12-16 years old and are planted on a large alluvial fan that extends from the Mayacamas Mountains to the west. The vineyard’s Bale soil series are developed on alluvial fans and flood plains, while the Clear Lake soil series are found on old alluvial fans derived from sedimentary rock.

As for the wine itself, it’s very young with beautiful red fruit that needs to settle down. But I can tell that it is going to be a beauty. It shows restraint and already is displaying a stylishness with great balance. Hold onto it for about two years and drink it over the next 15 or so.

The wine was aged for 16 months in 43 percent new French oak, with the remainder once-used barrels. There were 1,801 cases produced.

Reviewed April 11, 2007 by Alan Goldfarb.

The Wine

Winery: Nickel & Nickel
Vineyard: Harris Vineyard
Vintage: 2004
Wine: Merlot
Appellation: Oakville ~ Napa Valley
Grape: Merlot
Price: 750ml $48.00

Review Date: 4/11/2007

The Reviewer

Alan Goldfarb

Alan Goldfarb has been writing about and reviewing wine for 17 years. His reviews have been published in the St. Helena Star, San Jose Mercury, San Francisco Examiner, Decanter, and Wine Enthusiast, among others. Not once has he used a point system, star system, or an iconic symbol to quantify a wine. What counts in Mr. Goldfarb’s criteria when judging a wine is: how it tastes in the glass; is it well-constructed; its food compatibility; and presence of redeeming regional attributes.