Wild Horse

Merlot

Paso Robles

2007

Notes from the Producer

At Wild Horse Winery, the free-spirited attitude and sustainable-focused vineyard practices are what make this winery unique. Located south of Paso Robles, in Templeton, California, Wild Horse Winery creates compelling wines from 16 diverse appellations and more than 40 vineyards from the Central Coast. “Live Naturally, Enjoy Wildly” reflects the attitude and personalities of the people who have been creating these wines for over 25 years.

Winemaking

The fruit was hand picked into half ton bins and delivered to the winery. Following destemming, the fruit was crushed with varying amounts of whole berries and pumped into closed-topped fermentation tanks where they were yeast inoculated and then pumped over two to three times per day. Rack and return techniques were used to remove seeds and stems to avoid the extraction of undesirable flavors. Grapes were pressed 10-12 days after yeast inoculation and then the wine racked off of heavy solids to barrel for the completion of malolactic fermentation. This Merlot was aged in a mix of French and Hungarian barrels and racked twice during its 12-month cellar life.

Rating:  83 (WS)

Average Price:  $15