{"product_id":"la-jota-merlot-2017-750ml","title":"La Jota - Merlot 2019 (750ml)","description":"\u003cp\u003e2019 MERLOT NAPA VALLEY\u003cbr\u003eH I S T O R Y\u003cbr\u003eThe wines of La Jota have deep roots in Napa Valley. Back in 1888, winemaking pioneer W.S. Keyes planted some of the first vines on Howell Mountain, and 10 years later his contemporary, Fredrick Hess, built a stone winery and established La Jota Vineyard Co., named for its location on the Mexican parcel Rancho La Jota. Both men won medals for their Howell Mountain wines in the Paris Exposition of 1900. Today, La Jota Vineyard Co. proudly carries on this great legacy with its small-production mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, and Chardonnay. All La Jota wines are sourced from the winery’s estate and from nearby W.S. Keyes Vineyard, and they capture the intense fruit and mineral complexity of these cool-climate origins.\u003cbr\u003eV I N E Y A R D\u003cbr\u003eThe La Jota Vineyard lies high upon a volcanic plateau, looking east over Napa Valley. Surrounded by pine, fir, oak and madrone trees, the estate stands out because of its cool, windswept climate. Here we look to vineyard blocks that produce soft-textured Cabernet Sauvignon for wines of earlier approachability, and where the decomposed granite soils of our W.S. Keyes Vineyard impart a pop of bright fruit character and broader tannins.\u003cbr\u003eW I N E M A K I N G\u003cbr\u003eWe hand-harvested grapes into small, 30-pound boxes to prevent crushing, and then we brought them to the winery for hand-sorting. After destemming and light crushing, the must was cold-soaked for gentle color, flavor and tannin extraction. Winemaker Chris Carpenter fermented the juice with native yeast in a combination of open and closed-top stainless-steel tanks. Following gentle basket press, the wine underwent in-barrel malolactic fermentation,\u003cbr\u003erounding the acidity and integrating the vanilla character of French oak. The wine was barrel-aged for 21 months and bottled unfined and unfiltered.\u003cbr\u003eW I N E M A K E R ’ S  C O M M E N T S\u003cbr\u003e“The 2019 vintage brought us lots of winter rain, frequent fog events in the spring, and a mild summer with just a few short heat spikes. Uneventful fall weather allowed for extended hang time, and our last fruit came off the vines November 1. The 2019 vintage unequivocally contributes to the rich story of Merlot grown in the volcanic soils of Howell Mtn. Rich and dense, the wine sings with flavors of plum, raspberry and graphite. Beautiful at this youthful stage, this Merlot will surely age gracefully over the next decade or two.” - Christopher Carpenter, Winemaker\u003cbr\u003eT E C H N I C A L N O T E S\u003cbr\u003eBLEND COMPOSITION\u003cbr\u003e81.5% Merlot\u003cbr\u003e11.5% Petit Verdot\u003cbr\u003e7% Tannat\u003cbr\u003eHARVEST DATES\u003cbr\u003eOctober 22 to November 1\u003cbr\u003eFERMENTATION\u003cbr\u003eNative Yeast Fermentation\u003cbr\u003eMACERATION\u003cbr\u003e20 days\u003cbr\u003eBARREL AGING\u003cbr\u003e21 months in French oak (63% new)\u003cbr\u003eALCOHOL BY VOLUME\u003cbr\u003e14.5%\u003cbr\u003eWINE PH\u003cbr\u003e3.44\u003cbr\u003eWINE ACIDITY\u003cbr\u003e.66g\/100ml\u003cbr\u003eVINEYARD\u003cbr\u003eLa Jota Vineyard\u003cbr\u003eW.S. Keyes Vineyard\u003cbr\u003eA C C L A I M\u003cbr\u003e95 Points - James Suckling,\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eH I S T O R Y  O F  A C C L A I M\u003cbr\u003e2 0 2 1\u003cbr\u003e96 Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent, April 2024\u003cbr\u003e96 Points - James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, November 2023\u003cbr\u003e95+ Points - Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, December 2023\u003cbr\u003e2 0 2 0\u003cbr\u003eDid not produce 2020 Merlot\u003cbr\u003e2 0 1 9\u003cbr\u003e95 Points - James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2022\u003cbr\u003e93 Points - Antonio Galloni, Vinous, January 2022\u003cbr\u003e93 Points - Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, December 2021\u003cbr\u003e2 0 1 8\u003cbr\u003e95 Points - James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2021\u003cbr\u003e94 + Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker Wine Advocate, January 2021\u003cbr\u003e2 0 1 7\u003cbr\u003e94 Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker Wine Advocate, October 2019\u003cbr\u003e94 Points - Virginie Boone, Wine Enthusiast Magazine, March 2021\u003cbr\u003e2 0 1 6\u003cbr\u003e95 Points \u0026amp; #37 Top 100 Wines of 2019 - Kim Marcus, Wine Spectator, December 2019\u003cbr\u003e96 Points - Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, February 2019\u003cbr\u003e94 + Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker Wine Advocate, October 2018\u003cbr\u003e2 0 1 5\u003cbr\u003e94 Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker Wine Advocate, December 2017\u003cbr\u003e93 Points - Kim Marcus, Wine Spectator, August 2018\u003cbr\u003e93 Points - Virginie Boone, Wine Enthusiast Magazine, November 2018\u003cbr\u003e2 0 1 4\u003cbr\u003e94 Points - Virginie Boone, Wine Enthusiast Magazine, March 2018\u003cbr\u003e2 0 1 3\u003cbr\u003e95 Points - Virginie Boone, Wine Enthusiast Magazine, March 2017\u003cbr\u003e94 Points - Robert M. Parker Jr., Robert Parker Wine Advocate, October 2015\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"La Jota","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42975763824864,"sku":"105203","price":109.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0649\/9713\/0464\/products\/la-jota-merlot_1.jpg?v=1745942302","url":"https:\/\/www.mywineconnection.com\/products\/la-jota-merlot-2017-750ml","provider":"My Wine Connection","version":"1.0","type":"link"}