1992 Matanzas Creek Merlot Sonoma Valley
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It's here! I penned an exciting note on the 1992 Merlot in issue #92 when I published my barrel tasting report on the 1992s. Matanzas Creek's 1992 Merlot has now been released, and it is as spectacular as I had hoped. This may well be the finest Merlot made in the New World. The color is a dark saturated ruby/purple. While the nose is more closed than when I tasted the barrel sample, it offers huge, rich scents of black-cherries, cassis, and vanillin. Full-bodied, with exceptional concentration and depth, this fabulously rich Merlot should last for 12-15 years. A winemaking tour de force! This winery has hit the bull's eye with its 1992 Chardonnay, 1992 Merlot, and 1993 Sauvignon Blanc. Tel. (707) 528-6464.
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I am a longtime admirer of Matanzas Creek's Merlot and this effort appears to be the best the winery has produced. The opaque black/purple color suggests remarkable concentration and extraction. The huge nose of roasted black fruits intertwined with scents of coffee, mocha, and vanillin is followed by an awesomely endowed wine. The full-bodied, roasted plum/cassis, smoky flavors exhibit viscosity and an expansive fullness that must be tasted to be believed. Readers can be sure I will be squirrling away some of this magnificent Merlot. It should drink well for 10-12 or more years.
Very dark red, but not ruby. Rather subdued nose suggests dark berry fruit and a level of ripeness bordering on roasted. Sweet, very intensely flavored and slightly gamey in the mouth; medium-to-full-bodied yet quite lively and firm, and still a bit tightly wound. Really lovely balance and depth of flavor. Finishes very long, with firm, ripe tannins. Superb.