GRGICH HILLS ESTATE GROWN MERLOT 2018

Plum and black cherry lead, threaded with cocoa, dried herbs, and a soft cedar note that lingers through a round, medium-length finish. Those flavors trace back to Grgich Hills' estate vineyards in the cooler southern Napa Valley, where marine air off San Francisco Bay moderates temperatures and slows ripening, building structure without excessive weight. Mike Grgich, who rose to fame after his 1973 Chardonnay won the 1976 Paris Tasting, founded the estate on July 4, 1977, and it has farmed without synthetic pesticides or herbicides across five solar-powered vineyards ever since.