Paloma Vineyards Napa Valley Spring Mountain Merlot 2003
Sunday evening dinner feasting on leftover NY Strip Steak from Friday evening's dinner, I opened from the cellar this premium Merlot as a perfect accompaniment.
This 2003 release Paloma Merlot follows the 2001 release that gained notoriety when the 2001 Paloma Merlot was awarded Wine Spectator's #1 “Wine of the Year” in
2003, out of over 15,000 wines evaluated.
Paloma is Spanish for “dove”, the estate sits on a steep, tree-lined ridge at the
very top of Spring Mountain in the Mayacamas Mountain range that forms the west wall of Napa Valley, sitting between Bald Mountain to the
south and Diamond Mountain to the north.
Founded by Barbara and Jim Richards in 1983, seeking a vineyard to highlight
the grapes and terroir of their favorite region, they were turned on to the property by winemaker producer friend Dan Duckhorn. Over the next 25 years, Jim and
Barbara worked to clear, plant, and cultivate 7,500 Merlot, Syrah,
and Cabernet Sauvignon vines.
Paloma was a vineyard back in the last half of the 19th century but was returned to forest around the turn of the
century. There still remain old redwood grape stakes and a few old
zinfandel vines that survive under amongst the large Douglas fir trees that
surround the estate home. One historic vine near the house produces one or two clusters
of grapes a year that are put into our Merlot blend for good luck.
In 1991, some of the grapes were sold to Pride to be
blended into their Cabernet Sauvignon. Jim worked and
learned enology alongside legendary winemaker, Pride’s very own, Bob
Foley. In 1996, Paloma released their first-ever vintage, the 1994
Merlot - 575 cases total. Paloma’s first commercial Syrah was released
in 1998.
Paloma built the
estate winery in 2000 where they crushed their own fruit that year for the very first time.
The 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon
(Sheldon’s first solo vintage), received high praise from James Laube of
Wine Spectator in two separate articles written in 2007 and 2009.
Their son, Sheldon, joined the business in August of 2003, just in
time for harvest and for the release of the award-winning 2001 Paloma
Merlot. The follow-on
2002 and 2006 vintages were also recognized as the Wine Spectator’s Top 100 at 54
and 65, respectively.
Jim and Barbara passed on in 2009 and 2016, but their legacy lives on
under the stewardship of son Sheldon as owner and winemaker.
Paloma reflects the
terroir and specific micro-climates of the area and the high altitude Spring Mountain property. The topography of the area has its own
weather patterns being among the the coolest, wettest place in the Napa Valley. High above the Napa Valley and the morning fog, Paloma Vineyard is
generally 15 to 20-degrees cooler on hot summer days than the valley
floor vineyards. The more moderate temperatures and the volcanic soils
are what make Paloma wines so special, adding layers of complexity to
the mid-palate and long finishes.
Springs appear throughout the area after a good rain, hence the area’s name. The
combination of the summer heat and low pressure from the cool coastal
air that approaches the summit from the west lengthens the growing season into late fall. The prolonged hang time
– several weeks longer than warmer Napa Valley floor – add resonance
and concentration to the resulting small clusters.
The vines are planted on mostly steep,
east-facing hillsides. The Sonoma
volcanics and Franciscan sandstone soils stress the grapes, forcing them to stay small, with a
higher skin-to-grape ratio. The resulting mountain wines tend to be more
concentrated and intense, softened by the gradual
temperature fluctuations. The wines from the site are bright and
bold but with a surprising softness and elegance.
Paloma Napa Valley Spring Mountain Merlot 2003
We love Napa Valley mountain fruit wines with their richness, focus and concentration, and Spring Mountain wines are amongst our favorites. We're long time fans and collectors of Pride Mountain, Fantesca and Robert Craig Spring Mountain Cabernets.
We still hold several vintages of this label dating back to 1999 and our patience is rewarded tonight enjoying this aged nineteen year old.
Paloma Merlot is a blend of estate grown Merlot and Cabernet
Sauvignon. The Cabernet Sauvignon ranges from 14 to 16 percent depending
on the vintage.
Winemaker notes: The wine is a big, world-class red capable of
improving with bottle aging for at least 20 years in most vintages.
Although the characteristics of the wine vary with each vintage, they
have a consistent thread of complex aromas of blackberry fruits, black
stone fruits, chocolate, tobacco, spice, and floral notes with a mineral
overtone. On the palate, the wine has a silky mouthfeel, is well
balanced with flavors of berries, fruit, cocoa, cassis, and spice, and
enjoys a long spicy finish. The addition of the Cabernet Sauvignon adds
structure, rich fruit, and a subtle increase in tannins."
This release was awarded 90 points
by
Wine Spectator and 89 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.
I first wrote about this wine in September 2013 when I gave this 93 points and wrote that I like this wine: "At ten years old this may be at or approaching its apex as it is
drinking better than any of the previous half dozen bottles we've tasted
from our case. I was worried at first when decanted as the color seem a
bit dark with a slight brown hue but the aromas were pure berry. Medium
bodied, silky smooth, elegant and polished with complex layers of
raspberry, sweet current, blue and black berry highlights. This tasting
was consistent with my last posted tasting notes from a year ago this
week (September 2012) when I wrote, "Medium full bodied, smooth polished, complex
harmonious symphony of finely integrated aromas and flavors -
predominant sweet black currant, red raspberry, milk chocolate, a hint
of ripe plum, sweet oak and a bit of burnt sugar caramel on the long
smooth polished finish." Based on this tasting, I extended my drinking
window in Cellartracker which was listed as drink by 2011 to 2016.
At nineteen years, the fill level was
perfect, as was, importantly, the cork, reflecting the ideal conditions of our cellar
for long term aging. Of course, as show, Paloma bottles are painted rather than having glued paper labels. Like I did back in 2013, tonight I once again extended the drinking window for this wine, to 2022, as it is still showing well, holding its own, likely at the peak of its drinking window, perhaps nearing the end such that it might now start to diminish from further again.
This
was dark inky purple garnet colored, medium-full bodied, with intense firm
concentrated structured rich black currant and blackberry fruits with
notes of cedar and nutmeg, black tea, dark mocha and cigar box with firm focused
tannins on the gritty lingering finish.
RM 92 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=109466
https://palomavineyard.com/
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The fruit for this 2017 release was sourced from Mt. Veeder Appellation vineyard sites,
and harvested primarily from 40-year old dry farmed vines located
between 1,800 and 2,000 feet in elevation above the fog
line. It also includes some young
vine Chardonnay from the newly replanted Hill Block. 
