Pride Mountain Vineyards Merlot 2020
The 2020 Estate Merlot is ripe and lifted, with mulberry and kirsch, violets, graphite, sage brush, and forest floor. The addition of Petit Verdot this year really amplifies the aromatics. Rich fruit is balanced by textbook supple mountain tannins, chaparral earthiness and lovely freshness. Sweet vanilla, subtle baking spices, and a luxuriant mouthfeel give way to a fragrantly floral finish.
Grape Composition: 90% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
| Decanter: 90 |
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| Wonderfully fragrant cedarwood, herbs, and baking spices lead to a medium-bodied palate with juicy Santa Rosa plums and Bing cherry. More rich oak notes build in the glass, along with slivers of dark chocolate, toffee, and espresso beans. It's a fine-drinking Merlot for such a challenging vintage. |
| Wine Enthusiast: 93 |
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| Alluring oak spices and a touch of dusty earth crowd the aroma of this full-bodied wine before ripe, focused, well-delineated black fruit flavors take over, wrapped in significant, silky tannins for great structure. Tempting to drink now, but it'll be best 2026–2036. |
| Vinous: 92 |
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| The 2020 Merlot is a racy, extroverted wine. Super-ripe dark cherry, plum, chocolate, spice and espresso are nicely dialed up. All the elements come together beautifully in this exuberant, forward Merlot from Pride. |