Emmolo 2017 Merlot, Napa Valley

 Jenny Wagner is the newest member of the Wagner family of Caymus Vineyards to join the family business as a winemaker for Emmolo. Jenny has been working alongside her father, Chuck Wagner, for the past few years, benefiting from hands-on learning of both grape farming and winemaking in the Napa Valley. Emmolo is named after Jenny's maternal family, and was launched twenty years ago by her mother, Cheryl Emmolo. As winemaker, Jenny is naturally putting her own mark on the wines and elevating them to a stunning level of quality.

Grapes for this wine are sourced from the Emmolo vineyard in Oak Knoll; ten miles closer to the San Francisco Bay than Rutherford it has a much cooler microclimate. Along with well-drained, low vigor soil this vineyard is the ideal place to grow Merlot in Napa Valley. Hand harvested, the grapes were brought into the winery where they were de-stemmed and cold-soaked. Once fermentation was complete, the wine was aged for 19 months in 100% French oak barrels.

This wine is lush and supple on the palate, with expansive, dark berry flavors, rich spiciness, and smooth tannins.