Mayacamas, Merlot, Mt. Veeder

This continues to be an excellent wine a year or so after my last review. It does need a 30-60 minute decant. No signs of aging- just beautiful cherry fruit with hints of menthol and anise, medium tannins. It will probably continue to last for a long time. It was such a great undervalued wine back in the day and continues to reward cellaring.

2008 vintage

Deep ruby color, starting to go a little garnet at the rim. Intense nose of blueberry, cherry, blackberry, black plum. Palate is dark fruit, black plum, chocolate, coffee. Medium tannin, medium acidity. Full body. Medium plus finish.

2012 vintage

Deep dark reddish violet in color. Full, forward & attractive nose of ripe fruit aromas of cherries, blueberries & plums with overtones of floral & earthy/dusty notes, minerals, spices, some cocoa, herbs & a slight hint of oak/vanilla in the background. Medium-full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, blueberries & plums with spices, herbs, minerals & a hint of vanilla. Lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting …

2012 vintage

Liked it didn’t love it, notes of dust, plum, dried fig and spices on the nose, medium body, tannins are grippy and a little harsh, medium acidity and finish

2012 vintage

Drinking quite well now. Not too old, not too young. Goldilocks wine. It is best with a short decant as it actually firms up with more air. Blackberry, earth, slight menthol still.

2008 vintage

First bottle since 2018. This is drinking very well now. It still needs decanting to open up, and the tannins are still evident, but it is softening. Dark blackberry. Menthol. Resinous and herbal notes. Very much a Bob Travers wine, bless him. I have two cases of this left and happy to have them.

2008 vintage

A bit reductive - close to burned rubber to be honest, sour cherry driven aromas, pencil lead, plum; med(+) body, med alcohol, med(+) acid, med(+) tannins, long finish This wine can have Cab Franc in it but this vintage is 100% Merlot. Not giving score as I only have a brief tasting note.

2012 vintage

Brown sugar, red cherry, toast, a little flat. Medium flavour intensity, medium finish. Not sure this will go any better. Drink it now!

2012 vintage

Way better than 6 months ago.

2012 vintage

Medium ruby colour. Medium plus intensity on the nose with black plum, cranberry, red currant, dried red cherry, mint and earth. Medium plus intensity on the palate. Medium acidity, medium plus but softening tannins, medium alcohol and finish. Enjoyable wine with great fruit purity but slightly let down by length and complexity.

2012 vintage

Still extremely tight. Wait?

2012 vintage

Cooked red cherries, strawberries, raspberries, cedar and subtle spice notes. Soft tannins that are somehow a bit aggressive for 10 year old Merlot. Medium bodied otherwise. One of those wines where the flavors say "drink now' but the tannins hint it may age longer yet.

2012 vintage

The nose not as expressive as I might expect for a eight year in bottle Merlot. Duller; black plum, plum, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, hint of blueberries, dark chocolate, light charcoal notes, sandalwood, light old tobacco w/ dull, dry and fresh mixed flowers. The palate fruits are there but just not all that expressive. black plum, plum, blackberries, dark cherries, black raspberries, hint of blueberries, dark chocolate, cocoa powder, light charcoal notes, heavy wood shavings crushed dry rock, dry …

2012 vintage

I really liked this at the vineyard. I suspect the bottle had been open for some time. At home this is tight and sour. Needs way more time.

2012 vintage

A bit thin and tight. Acidity overwhelms the fruit.

2012 vintage

Balanced and delicious

2012 vintage

Right now this is rather simple and dumb. Showing a bit too much wood at this point. After an hour in glass some fruit and flavor starts to show so my best guess is that this just needs more time to show well. It has lots of structure so it is probably just young but it isn’t in the same league as the 2007 and 2008, which are fantastic.

2012 vintage

Dark red. Earthy, blackberry, herbal. Firmly structured but starting to lose some of the tannins from my last bottle 18 months ago. Very good.

2008 vintage

In the back of my mind I was expecting this Merlot to present like a Cab. My expectations were (pleasantly) dashed. Definitely Merlot, and a delicious expression at that. Bright and pretty with ripe, red fruits + sweet, moist tobacco + earthy, minty clove + dried flower petals on the nose. On the palate cherries, ripe plums, and sweet spices.

2012 vintage

Red fruit (cherry, raspberry, slight cassis), earth, slight spice. Good acidity. Lingering finish. Really enjoyable.

2008 vintage

Primary dark purple red color. Too young, but I had to try it. As expected, a structured, complex wine that needs at least another 5 years to really get going. However, with an hour or two decant, you can see how good it will be. Great fruit, blackberry bramble, herb, menthol.

2008 vintage

This thin and under-ripe wine is the single-worst CA Merlot I have ever tasted priced over $15 (and this cost three times that from the winery). Light red in color, light in body, nose of charcoal and sod. For me, the overwhelming taste is of raspberries picked too early, along with pencil shavings and asparagus, with a tart finish that is closer to an under-ripe Pinot than a Merlot. (I would say this is a "Merlot for Pinot lovers," but …

2012 vintage

Hunting trip in W. Mass. Full bodied, meaty, tons of red and dark fruit. Lasting finish. Pair with wild game!

2008 vintage

Lots of berry mixed with earth on the nose, smooth and balanced mid-palate with a long finish which includes a lingering tinge of pepper/spice. Very good structure, although not quite as complex as I expected from Mt Veeder grapes (*our first bottle of Mayacamas Merlot, so wasn't sure what to expect). Still, quite tasty and easy to drink. Complexity might increase over time.

2008 vintage

Mt. Veeder Tasting. Nice nose of dark fruit, spice, and earth, more of the same on the palate, medium body, tasty but lacking depth and touch simple, medium finish.

2008 vintage

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Mayacamas, Merlot, Mt. Veeder

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