Superior Reserve Merlot
At Bouchon our Winemaker has chosen to use oak barrels just enough
to enhance the flavors of his Merlot without allowing the oak to
dominate the varietal character. This requires careful attention
to fermentation and to aging. Each wine is tasted repeatedly to
determine how much of the oak has influenced the flavor. Only an
experienced winemaker, tasting from barrel, can predict what the
wine will be like when all of the flavors have been harmonized after
the wine has been bottled and held for additional maturing in the
bottle.
Bouchon varietal wines respect the special character in varietal
wines which is derived from being held in oak barrels. "It's the
Oak" is a promise to strike the right balance between varietal intensity
- the true flavor of the grape when harvested - and the vanilla/spice
flavors which derive from contact with oak. Wine in barrels is constantly
changing as it matures, and the winemaker must observe each barrel
individually, because each barrel is subtly different from it's
neighbors in the cellars. (Just as no two trees are exactly alike,
no two barrels made from oak staves are the same; each will mature
the wine it contains differently from another barrel.) As always
the objective of oak aging at Bouchon is to enhance varietal flavor
and not to mask it; we seek to add complexity, but not to taste
of oak.
| ALCOHOL: |
13.1% |
| TOTAL ACIDITY: |
.67gms/100ml |
| pH: |
3.5 |
| RESIDUAL SUGAR: |
.20 | |
