This Merlot comes from specially selected vineyards in California, where warm days, cool nights & a long growing season develop ripe, round fruit flavors. Each vineyard is sustainably farmed & harvested separately, fermented in upright fermenters, & “rack & return” was performed twice daily. Rack & return is the process of draining all of the free-run juice off the cap, then pumping the free-run juice back over the top of the fermenter. This method increases color & tannin extraction & improves the mouthfeel through the integration of oxygen. Each blend was aged separately in neutral French & American oak. This wine comes from Livermore Valley, San Francisco Bay & is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Barbera & Petit Verdot. The Merlot comes from three different mesoclimate vineyards throughout the Arroyo Seco appellation, allowing the wine to highlight an incredible blend of the areas grapes. Each blend was aged separately in French & American oak barrels.