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Novelty Hill 2016 Stillwater Creek Vineyard Merlot, Columbia Valley, $28

By on July 21, 2019
novelty hill stillwater creek vineyard merlot nv bottle - Novelty Hill 2016 Stillwater Creek Vineyard Merlot, Columbia Valley, $28

It took more than 30 years after the Alberg family purchased these 235 acres of shrub-steppe near the town of Royal City, Wash., before Tom Alberg, Jr., began to transform it into Stillwater Creek Vineyard. A trio of clones populate the nine Merlot blocks that among the 60 blocks managed by Ed Kelly, a plant pathologist from University of California-Davis who took his education into vineyard management in Napa. His berries in the hands of winemaker Mike Januik became a bold example of Merlot redolent of Bing cherry and Baker’s chocolate. A delicious structure of espresso-grounds tannin and nuttiness is capped by raspberry, currant and vanilla bean. Club members have been taking their share this month, so this cellar-worthy example of Washington Merlot soon will be available to those who visit Mithun-designed industrial-chic tasting room along Woodinville-Redmond Road.

Rating: Outstanding!

Production: 551 cases

Alcohol: 14.4%

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About Great Northwest Wine

Articles authored by Great Northwest Wine are co-authored by Eric Degerman and Andy Perdue. In most cases, these are wine reviews that are judged blind by the Great Northwest Wine tasting panel.

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