Arrowood Vineyards and Winery

One of the things that earns winemakers the title of “winemaster” is longevity. The other is relentless pursuit of better wine, no matter the vintage or variety. Put the two together and you’ve got Dick Arrowood of Arrowood Cellars. He doesn’t shrink from admitting that one of the best reasons to grow Merlot in California is that it improves Cabernet Sauvignon to blend some in – yet when he makes varietal Merlot he’s aiming to make Merlot that’s as good as any Cabernet. He just about hit it with the 2002, which came from vineyards in the Sonoma, Russian River, and Alexander valleys. The various lots were vinified separately and then blended to create the finished wine (no filtering, no fining).

Blackberry and cherry aromas well out of the glass, and you can both smell and sense the wine’s depth and dimension even though it's all understated and interwoven. The aromas presage the experience in your mouth: a sleek, full-bodied entry that is both inviting and impressive. One of the best things about the wine is the way its ripe, nubbly skin tannins elegantly diffuse any overt wood influence from nearly two years of barrel aging. Only a wave of sweet vanilla just before the aftertaste – like Cyrano de Bergerac flourishing his rapier one last time before slipping out a casement window – reminds you that someone knew exactly what he was doing. If you can afford it, get more than one bottle and age them three, five, and ten years.

Reviewed April 11, 2007 by Thom Elkjer.