2005 Meritage, Le Mariage

The 2005 harvest in the Topel Estate vineyards yielded an abundance of Cabernet Sauvignon and excellent crops of Petit Verdot, Merlot and Cabernet Franc — classic grape varieties that compose a perfect Meritage. Our 2005 vintage Le Mariage is a complex, deeply flavored and utterly delicious blend — every bit as wonderful as its acclaimed predecessor. Le Mariage is the French translation for “marriage.” It’s a perfect name for this wine, as we particularly love the way the high cherry tones of the Petit Verdot “marry” with the deep licorice flavors of the Cabernets and Merlot.

We harvested the grapes for this Meritage in the second and third weeks of October. Each grape variety was fermented separately in very small lots that were punched down by hand four to five times a day for maximum color and flavor. As each fermentation finished, it was pressed off into 50% new French oak barrels (Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc into Demptos; Merlot and Petit Verdot into Francois Freres). We then carefully aged the wines for 24 months before assembling the final blend. Once bottled, the wine was aged an additional six months before its release in March of 2008.

590 Cases

Varietal Compositio: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 12% Petit Verdot, 8% Cabernet Franc