Hill Family Estate takes Merlot seriously, and we believe the Merlot grape has a lot to offer that Cabernet Sauvignon cannot quite achieve. The Beau Terre vineyard is a centerpiece for Doug Hill’s accumulated viticultural knowledge. From the row spacing to the trellising, the row direction and the clones selected, everything has been carefully thought-out to give Merlot its best expression. Bloom ended by May 20th, a long dry season loomed ahead, and by July 22nd most of the Merlot was at 50% veraison in Oak Knoll, and by August 1st in Carneros. By August 21st, brix numbers were 21 to 22, and color was already looking good. We harvested the grapes on September 24th & 30th. FX10 yeast was used and fermentations got going hot and fast. The blend was put together in June (2015), and it was bottled unfined and unfiltered in March 2016.