November 2014
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Robert Foley and his Merlot

FoleyMerlotWebsiteFeature.jpg The 2011 Napa Valley vintage was cold and wet. This was not the best for Cabernet Sauvignon, which thrives in warm, dry weather and is late-ripening grape. Rain in October hit the Cabernet crop hard, but earlier ripening Merlot was spared. Thus, there are indeed some Merlot gems in the 2011 vintage.

At the center of the 2011s is Bob Foley. Not only are all his wines consistently balanced with respect to the vintage, but WOW does he make some mean Merlot! We aren’t the only ones to notice his talent. He is featured in the Wine Spectator November 2014 issue for his outstanding versions of Merlot in the challenging 2011.

“Merlot specialist Bob Foley made two impressive 2011s. Under his eponymous label, the Robert Foley Merlot Napa Valley (91pts) is a fleshy and vibrant red with notes of red currant and herb; at Switchback Ridge, Foley crafted the Merlot Napa Valley Peterson Family Vineyard 2011 (90pts), which features a tight core enveloped by plush black cherry and bitter chocolate flavors. With 38 vintages under his belt, Foley weathered the challenges of 2011 with aplomb. His careful vineyard management and attention to detail delivers in the wines.”
Read the whole article.

The Robert Foley 2011 Merlot is currently in stock.
The Switchback Ridge 2011 Merlot is arriving soon.

Cheers Bob and thanks for the fantastic juice!


FEATURED: One Grape, One Harvest, One Parcel

Cedric Bouchard is revolutionizing Champagne from the inside out. Since 2000, he’s made wine in decidedly his own fashion, with a single-vintage, single-vineyard, single-varietal mantra that harkens more to nearby Burgundy than to traditional Champagne.