Clos Pegas "Mitsuko's Vineyard" Merlot 2019, Napa Valley

Clos Pegase owns more than 400 acres of land in the Napa Valley, with 286 planted to grapes. The four vineyard sites are located in three distinct areas, ranging from the base of Mount St. Helena to the San Pablo Bay in Carneros.

Purchased in 1989 as bare pasture, the property's planting began in 1991. With a diverse range of soil types, elevations and microclimates, different areas were initially selected to specialize in Chardonnay and Merlot. A pilot planting of Pinot Noir proved very successful, and over the years Pinot planting has expanded. Additionally there are small areas of Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Malbec.

Leaving the picking decision until the last moment to gain as much flavor as possible, we hand and machine harvested all our merlot blocks in three consecutive days. Delivering the fruit to the winery in the early morning, the grapes were destemmed to tank, where the must was chilled for a period of three days. Following this cold soak, the tanks were allowed to gently warm and the must be inoculated. As the fermentation progressed, the tank was pumped over twice a day, allowing full extraction of tannins, flavor and color from the must. When the wine was dry, the must was pressed off and transferred to a combination of barrel and tank storage, where it underwent malolactic fermentation. After 12 months of aging, the wine was lightly filtered and bottled.