WINEMAKER NOTES 2019 Madden Merlot starts with a dark and spicy nose, dried cherries, plum, fig jam, and hints of white pepper linger. It then opens up to brighter fruit notes and rose petals as you swirl. The wine will age beautifully for years to come, but drinks wonderfully now. We recommended pairing with flank steak or grilled pork chop, accompanied with fresh greens.

WINEMAKING TECHNIQUES

Harvested early In the morning to ensure gentle processing of cool fruit, the clusters were hand sorted, destemmed and crushed to release juice. Starting the extraction process from the skins the grapes were fermented in a jacketed open top tank. Lastly, at dryness, the grapes were pressed to tank and racked clean into a combination of 40% new French oak barrels for 24 months of aging.

FRUIT SOURCE: MADDEN FAMILY VINEYARD

Madden is located 10 miles northeast of Healdsburg, California In the Dry Creek Valley AVA. The region's cool morning fog and evening breezes imbue the fruit with a unique freshness and rich flavor. Throughout summertime, the average temperature reaches the mid-’80s to low-'90s, which are considered the prime growing temperatures for Bordeaux style Merlot.

VINTAGE NOTES

This vintage began with a long winter that brought an abundance of rain, leading into spring and delaying bloom by two weeks. Fortunately, our grapes were picked and fermented in the tank before the fires that year. You can expect the 2019 Madden Merlot to showcase stellar grapes with bright, fresh natural acidity capturing a burst of late summer sunshine.

THE WINERY

Bailarín Cellars was created in 2014 by a collective of family and friends, each following their respective passions. Together, we focus on producing small lots of handcrafted wines from unique vineyard sources. We are proud to share the fruits of our labor and love with you.